Views of China, Russia at record lows: Gallup

Americans’ views of China and Russia have soured to record low levels, according to a new poll. 

Only 20 percent of Americans surveyed give China a favorable rating, according to the Gallup poll released early Monday, representing a 13 percentage-point drop in favorability from 33 percent a year ago. Last year’s result had been the lowest since the late 1990s and tied a record low following the Chinese government’s crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square.

Along party lines, Republicans’ favorability toward China fell 13 percentage points to 10 percent, while Democrats’ declined 8 points to 27 percent. 

When it comes to Russia, 77 percent of all respondents indicated they now have an unfavorable opinion of the country. On the other hand, 25 percent of Republicans surveyed said they have a somewhat favorable view of Russia, with 18 percent of Democratic respondents agreeing.

Since last year, Russia’s image has declined among independents, Gallup noted, down 12 points to 24 percent. Views from Republicans and Democrats were relatively unchanged during the same time period. 

The Gallup poll was conducted Feb. 3-18 with a random sample of 1,021 adults. It has a sampling error of 4 percentage points. 

President Biden announced in early February that his administration was ready to take on China when it came to trade, public health and human rights issues. During the last year of his presidency, former President Trump routinely blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic, saying the country lied about its origins to the world. 

And during his first call with his Russian counterpart, Biden last month pressed Vladimir Putin on the SolarWinds hack and the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.