The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY BY CRAIG KAFURA

A plurality of Americans—and a majority of Republicans—also say that US leaders are not paying enough attention to US-China competition.

The 2023 Chicago Council Survey, conducted September 7–18, 2023, finds Americans more concerned about the rise of China than at any point since the end of the Cold War.  

Key Findings 

• A record level of Americans (58%) view China’s development as a world power as a critical threat to the vital interest of the United States, the highest level recorded in Chicago Council Surveys dating back to 1990.
• The American public is evenly divided over who is stronger economically, with a third pointing to the United States (33%), another third pointing to China (32%), and a final third saying the two are about equal in economic power (33%).
• Americans are more confident in US military power vis-à-vis China (46% pick the United States, 15% China, 37% about equal).
• On a 10-point scale of global influence, Americans rate the US an average of 8.4 and China at 7.5—the narrowest gap recorded in the Chicago Council Surveys dating back to 2002.
• A plurality of Americans (46%) say that US leaders are not paying enough attention to the issue of US competition with China.
• Across issue areas from human rights to intellectual property rights, Americans are generally more likely to say that the US government’s response to China has not gone far enough than to say it has been about right, with few viewing it as having gone too far.

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