Friday, August 7, 2026
At the beginning of the current decade, views of China were near historic lows in many countries. Recently, however, positive opinions of China have become more widespread, as measured in a recent Pew Research Center survey, and more people now have confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the right thing regarding world affairs. Still, in most of the 37 countries surveyed, and particularly in some of the wealthier ones, views of Xi remain more negative than positive. Views of China are also more positive in Latin America, Africa and parts of South and Southeast Asia than in wealthier European and East Asian countries. Anxieties about China persist, including concerns about its government’s respect for personal freedoms, the possibility of territorial conflict with its neighbors, and interference in the affairs of other countries.
In an interview conducted on August 7, 2026, Pew Research Center Associate Director Laura Silver joins Steve Orlins to discuss changes in global perceptions of China over the past few years.
Speaker
Laura Silver
Laura Silver is an associate director at Pew Research Center. She is an expert in international survey research and writes about a variety of topics, including global attitudes toward China, views of democracy, and opinions about foreign policy. On the quantitative side, she is involved in all aspects of the Center’s research process, including designing survey questionnaires and sample designs, managing fieldwork, processing and analyzing data, and writing reports.
Dr. Silver received a dual Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication and the political science department at the University of Pennsylvania where her work focused on American public opinion of China, particularly in the context of presidential elections. Her work has been published in journals such as the International Journal of Public Opinion Research and International Studies Quarterly. She regularly shares findings on international public opinion with U.S. and international media outlets.
