Canadians see China and the USA right away: What is behind it?

Canadians see China and the USA right away: What is behind it?

Celle, Deutschland - Current opinion polls show that the Canadians' view of the USA and China has now reached a similar level. According to a survey by the PEW Research Center, which was published by les affaires 34 % of Canadians A positive opinion of the United States, which corresponds to a decline of 20 points compared to the previous year. In the same breath, however, it shows that the same number of Canadians, i.e. 34 %, now favors China - an increase of 13 points.

Laura Silver, the deputy director of global opinion research at the Pew Research Center, emphasizes that there is now no significant difference between opinions about the USA and China. These observations come from a comprehensive study that surveyed 28,333 adults in 24 countries, whereby the USA itself was not involved. The data was collected between January 8 and April 26, 2025.

international perceptions in focus

The results are not only limited to Canada. In Mexico, the surveys show that 45 % of the economic relationships with China prefer to the United States, which is a significant increase compared to previous years. In view of the tense relationships between Canada and China, which were burdened in 2018 by the arrest of Canadians in China and the simultaneous arrest of Meng Wanzhou in Canada, this development could be important.

The survey also shows that 26 % of Canadians have confidence in XI Jinping, while Donald Trump is only 22 %. This clarifies that the views of leaders and international relationships are subject to constant change. Another interesting knowledge of the study is that only 67 % of Canadians consider the United States to be economically important - a dramatic decrease of 87 % in 2019.

The challenge of the opinion measurement

How important to study public opinion is also in The Louvain Economic Review discussed. With regard to political science, it is emphasized that it is now an important challenge to capture opinions within a country and internationally. The current methods of opinion research show technical approaches, but often remain inadequate in their theoretical depth.

summarized, the current opinion poll shows that the Canadian perspective has again changed to the geopolitical landscape. In a world in which both foreign policy relationships and public opinions are constantly in motion, it remains to be seen how the views will develop in the future.