1. PRESENTATION PREPARED FOR
National Chinese
Language Conference
May 1, 2009
“What Americans Think About China”

2. What do Americans Think
About China?
• How is the American public responding to the rise of
China?
• How do Americans assess China’s influence in world
affairs?
• Do they see China’s increasing economic and military
power as a positive or negative development?
• Is China’s rise a threat to the United States? And if
so, how should Americans respond?
May 1, 2009 2

3. Chicago Council
Public Opinion Studies
• Data drawn from three different Chicago Council
public opinion surveys conducted during 2006-2008
• All surveys based on nationally representative
random samples of approximately 1,000 American
adults
• Full reports and access to data available on The
Chicago Council website, www.thechicagocouncil.org
May 1, 2009 3

4. Americans See China as
Influential in the World
On a scale of 1-10, China gets the 3rd highest influence
score among the countries mentioned
Country Mean Influence Score
United States 8.5
Great Britain 6.7
China 6.4
Japan 6.4
EU 6.0
Russia 5.6
Germany 5.5
France 4.9
India 4.8
May 1, 2009 4

5. China Seen as Having More
Economic Influence in Asia than
United States or Japan
• China’s economic growth has made it the engine of
the Asian economy, replacing Japan in only 20 years
Country Mean Score for Economic
Influence in Asia
China 7.5
Japan 7.3
United States 7.0
May 1, 2009 5

6. Americans Think China Will Lead Asia…
But Are Uncomfortable with That Prospect
• 68% of Americans agree that China will be the future
leader of Asia
• But 71% of those who agree, say they would be
somewhat or very uncomfortable with the idea of
China being the leader of Asia
May 1, 2009 6

7. Americans See China as Very
Important to the United States
China ranks third among 18 countries mentioned – after only
Great Britain and Canada
Country Percent who said “very
important” to the United States
Great Britain 60%
Canada 53%
China 52%
Japan 45%
Saudi Arabia 44%
Israel 40%
Mexico 37%
Russia 34%
Iran 32%
Pakistan 30%
May 1, 2009 7

8. But Overall,
Americans
Have “Cool”
Feelings
Toward China
May 1, 2009 8

9. And Those Feelings Have
Grown Cooler in Recent Years
May 1, 2009 9

10. Americans Are Aware of China’s
Economic Growth…
But Deeply Ambivalent about its Impact
• 76% of Americans agree that China’s economy will someday be as
large as that of the United States
• A bare majority of 51% think that China’s economy becoming as
large as that of the US would be an “equally positive and
negative” development, and 42% think it would be “mostly
negative”
• When asked whether China’s becoming “significantly more
powerful economically than it is today” would be mainly positive or
mainly negative, 47% said mainly positive, and 46% said mainly
negative
• 67% of Americans think China “practices unfair trade,” up from
53% in 2002
May 1, 2009 10

11. Americans Are Concerned about
Rise of China as Military Power
• When asked whether China’s becoming “significantly
more powerful militarily than it is today” would be
mainly positive or mainly negative, 76% say mainly
negative, and only 19% say mainly positive
• 71% say they are somewhat worried (46%) or very
worried (25%) about the China becoming a military
threat to the United States in the future
May 1, 2009 11

12. Americans Perceive Complex and
Evolving Relationship with China
• 40% of Americans agree that “the development of China as
a world power” is a critical threat to the vital interests of the
United States, up from 33% in 2004, but down from the
high of 57% in the mid and late 1990s
• 49% of the American public agree that China and the U.S.
are “mostly rivals,” while 41% say “mostly partners”
• But a strong majority of Americans (64%) believe that in
dealing with the rise of China’s power, the U.S. should
“undertake friendly cooperation and engagement” rather
than “actively work to limit the growth of China’s power”
May 1, 2009 12

13. But Are Americans Preparing to
Deal with China’s Rise??
• Only 11% of Americans say it is very important for
children to learn Chinese
• In contrast, 82% of Chinese say it is very important
for children to learn English
May 1, 2009 13