This week NIRA Data presented the results of its annual public opinion survey, commissioned by the Alliance of Democracies, which was conducted in 85 countries worldwide between March 19 and April 21, 2026. The results are not surprising but still offer valuable new evidence and nuance about the significant changes the world is witnessing. Essentially the data shows how steeply the United States is losing its global appeal in recent years.
Just three years ago, the U.S. enjoyed a comfortable lead globally in terms of soft power. Almost no one had a good opinion of China and a bad opinion of the United States. The situation has changed dramatically in a short span of time. Today, most countries around the world now view China more favorably than the United States.
Source: NIRA, Global Country Perceptions 2026. Reproduced with permission.
It is useful to note that most people in the world are not choosing between China and the United States. Back in 2023, public in most countries had positive perceptions of both China and the U.S., followed closely by those countries where the public had a better image of the U.S. than of China.
Today, the most common category of countries is the group of those that have a negative public image of the United States and a positive image of China. This is especially common among the countries in Middle East and North Africa, but also applies to some countries from the Asia-Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Europe.
