Countries prefer U.S. to China as leading superpower, poll finds

Washington isn’t preferred over Beijing everywhere around the world. EGF found in 2021 that two-thirds of Russians would rather China be the leading global power.

Among the nine countries in the new EGF poll, the top reason for picking the U.S. was that it’s a “trustworthy economic partner,” while the top reason for picking China was that it’s “a good example for national development.”

EGF also asked about two other U.S. exports: pop culture and “ideas of democracy.”

While the Jan. 6 hearings in Washington have highlighted the fragile state of American democracy, huge majorities in Nigeria, India, Poland, Brazil and Egypt view U.S. democracy favorably and want their governing system to become more like America’s.

Even in China, 32% view “American ideas of democracy” favorably, though that’s down from 45% in 2019. Meanwhile, 28% want China’s government to become more like America’s.