A view of Manhattan, New York. Photo: VCG

Editor's Note: 

As the most closely watched event in the "super election year," the 2024 US presidential election is likely to have far-reaching implications for the international political and economic landscape, and has become an important window into the US for the world. How do the American people view themselves and the world? A recent public opinion survey conducted by the Global Times Institute (GTI) on "mutual perceptions between China and the US" shows that only 20 to 30 percent of American respondents view the country's current democratic system and social governance as successful. The vast majority of American respondents hope that the new president will focus on addressing domestic issues. At the same time, around 90 percent of respondents from both China and the US express concern over bilateral relations, with mainstream public opinion in both countries favoring strengthened economic and commercial exchanges, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation on climate change.

Global Times

Calls for prioritizing domestic issues

From September 29 to October 16, the GTI conducted a public opinion survey on "mutual perceptions between China and the US" simultaneously in both countries. The survey utilized an online sample pool for invitations to participate, collecting a total of 3,134 valid responses in the US and 2,108 valid responses in China. This poll covered 50 states in the US as well as Washington DC, while in China, it covered 16 major cities across seven regions, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, and others. The survey results were weighed according to the latest demographic data on age and gender from both countries.

According to the survey data, the American public is not very optimistic about the current trends and state of the economy. Over 40 percent of respondents believe that an economic crisis is "very likely" (29 percent) or "definitely" (15 percent) likely to happen in the next four years, while more than 30 percent think it is "somewhat likely." At the same time, 38 percent of American respondents believe that the current economic situation is in a state of decline. 

As the US federal government debt surpasses a historic high of $35 trillion, 40 percent of American respondents believe this means "the US government is on the verge of bankruptcy and its power has dropped sharply," a figure that is much higher than the contrasting option in the survey, which states that "the massive debt shows strong trust in the US government at home and abroad (16 percent)." 

The survey also shows that around 30 percent of American respondents rate the US democratic politics as "successful," while 38 percent rated it as a "failure." Approximately 24 percent of respondents evaluate social governance in the US as "successful," which is nearly 10 percentage points lower than the proportion that rates it as a "failure" (33 percent). 

Additionally, 75 percent of American respondents believe that the level of wealth disparity in the US is "large" or "very large." The proportions of those who believe that the rights and interests of minority groups are effectively protected and those who believe they are not effectively protected are 43 percent and 47 percent, respectively. Only 14 percent of respondents think that community safety has improved.

A "post-00s" American respondent living in Iowa commented in the survey that "I think the US government is paying attention to the financial well-being of citizens less and less, leading to more gaps in the economy and issues we are seeing now where people have like 3 jobs and still can't get a house or ever afford groceries. Not to mention the whole health care issue."

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that the current dissatisfaction among the American public mainly stems from the federal government's failure to fundamentally address and manage significant livelihood issues related to prices, healthcare, employment, and income. "The disappointment and pessimism are somewhat reminiscent of the public sentiment during the Great Depression of the 1930s and the economic crises of the late 19th century."

According to this survey, 69 percent of the American respondents hope that the new president will focus more on addressing domestic issues. When asked whether they support the US providing more grant aid to developing countries, 40 percent of American respondents expressed support while 38 percent opposed it, and 22 percent were uncertain. 

A supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump sells merchandise near the White House in Washington DC, on November 6, 2024.  Photo: VCG

Over 80 percent of Americans support both Russia and Ukraine engaging in peace talks to end the conflict as soon as possible. However, on November 1, the US government just announced an additional $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine. 

Xin Qiang, professor and deputy director at the Center for American Studies, Fudan University, told the Global Times that compared with the opinions of the US Congress and its allies, the views of the American public have relatively limited influence on the government. Unless opposition sentiment reaches a very strong level, similar to that during the later stages of the Vietnam War, public opinion is insufficient to affect decision-makers to change foreign policy.

Notably, nearly 40 percent of the American public opposes Washington providing more grant aid to developing countries, which, according to Xin, demonstrates a significant portion of the American public supports the "America First" policy. 

"For the US government, when it comes to providing financial aid, it faces the issue of being 'financially constrained' on one hand, and on the other hand, the number of people, who believe that the US should not bear too much or too heavy international responsibility, has been increasing in recent years," Xin said. 

US-China ties matter most

When asked which bilateral relationships are most important to the US currently, more American respondents chose the US-China relationship at 39 percent. The US-UK, US-EU, and US-Canada relationships came in the second tier at around 33 percent each.

Americans expressed widespread concern over US-China relations, with 87 percent saying they care about it, and 55 percent expressing high levels of concern. 

"The American public's focus on US-China relations stems from both a clear understanding of the intertwined interests between the two countries and the deliberate portrayal of China as an imagined enemy by some American politicians and media," said Li.  

Meanwhile, in China, over 90 percent of respondents expressed concern over US-China relations, with 67 percent expressing high levels of concern. 

Regarding the 2024 US presidential election, 14 percent of Chinese respondents said they were "extremely concerned," and over half said they were "relatively concerned." When asked which bilateral relationships are most important to China currently, the US-China relationship came in second with a 43 percent selection rate.

The survey also revealed over 70 percent of American respondents are aware of US policies like additional tariffs, export controls, and technical sanctions against China. Around 60 percent also are aware of China's countermeasures against the moves. 

There is a general consensus among Americans that US tech export restrictions have had negative impacts, with 29 percent believing the impact is equally negative on both countries, 24 percent believing the impact is more negative on the US, and 21 percent of respondents believing the impact is more negative on China.

Chinese respondents mirrored this sentiment, with nearly half believing that US export controls have had an equally negative impact on both countries. In response to the US abuse of Section 301 to hike tariffs on some Chinese goods, 77 percent of Chinese respondents said they support further retaliatory actions against the US. 

Regarding perceptions of the China-US relationship, over half of the American respondents surveyed described the current US-China relations as "tense"; 30 percent see them as "friendly" or "normal." A concerning 44 respondents said they believe Sinophobia or anti-Chinese sentiment exists within American society.

Regarding the consequences of this tense relationship, 95 percent of respondents in the US believe it has negatively impacted their country, with a 2:5:2 split regarding the severity level extremely severe, slightly severe, and slightly.

Cooperation favored by both sides

Students from Glen Rock Public Schools in New Jersey, US, experience pottery making at the Beijing Academy, on June 11, 2024.? Photo: VCG

The survey also asked respondents in both countries to predict how US-China relations might change after the US presidential election. Almost 40 percent of American respondents chose "not sure, it's hard to say," while the number of respondents who predicted a "more tense," "eased" or " unchanged" each represented around 20 percent. Chinese respondents were more optimistic, with 30 percent predicting "unchanged"  or "eased" in relations respectively.

In addition, 76 percent of respondents believe the US should avoid provoking or angering China in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

The survey also explored perceptions of China's rapid economic development and social changes. A majority (76 percent) of American respondents are aware of these transformations. Strikingly, 57 percent of them agree that the US could learn from China's experiences in certain areas - more than double those who disagree.

When asked specifically what the US could learn from China, "China's investment in science and technology R&D," "China's investment in infrastructure development" and "China's emphasis on high-quality growth, especially the capability of extensive generation of green technologies," were each mentioned by about half of the respondents.

Several American respondents shared their thoughts on China's successes during the survey.

A Pennsylvanian above 50 years old commented, "China is one, not divided like the US." A Rhode Island respondent in their 20s highlighted the value of China's manufacturing capabilities. A post-80s generation resident of Nevada praised China's speed and efficiency in building bridges and large structures.

At the same time, 60 percent of Chinese respondents said they were fairly interested in the US. On the impression of the US, "technology and innovation" received more positive comments.

The survey also revealed that over 70 percent of Chinese respondents and more than 50 percent of American respondents support strengthened collaboration on addressing climate change. A majority (80 percent) of Chinese respondents and 54 percent of American respondents expressed a desire for increased people-to-people exchanges. 

Additionally, a significant number of Americans (44 percent) advocated for stronger economic cooperation and business interactions.

There are 75 percent expressed interest in Chinese cuisine. Over 50 percent were interested in Chinese history and traditional Chinese medical treatment. The arrival of giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao at the San Diego Zoo on August 8 was met with "happy," "looking forward" and "support" from many American respondents.

Li pointed out that currently, there are huge opportunities and space for expanding practical cooperation between China and the US in various fields, including agriculture, technology, energy, climate, and anti-drug efforts.

Relations in the spotlight