The 2023 Best Countries Survey of U.S. News & World Report, conducted between March 17 and June 12, revealed this finding. Survey participants in regions across the world answered questions about which of these three major nations – the U.S., China and Russia – were the greatest threat to the world.
Overall, 72 percent of respondents pointed to Russia as the main threat. Sixty-six percent of respondents believe China is the greatest threat, while 50 percent see the U.S. in that role.
Sentiment against Russia was high in three nations surveyed: Finland (95 percent), Japan (92.5 percent) and Poland (91.1 percent). Sentiment against China was high in Japan – with 90.8 percent of respondents deeming Beijing as a threat. The contentious history between China and Japan during World War II, an issue brought up by nationalists in both countries, contributes to this sentiment.
When it comes to the U.S. being a threat to the world, agreement toward this idea was highest in China – with 74.8 percent saying Washington undermines the world order. Other countries asked about this idea did not entirely believe this claim, U.S. News noted.
Earlier Pew poll names China as the biggest threat against U.S.
Meanwhile, a July 2023 survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that half of Americans view China as a bigger threat than Russia. Its poll conducted between May 30 and June 4 found that 50 percent of respondents deem Beijing a threat to the U.S., compared to the 17 percent who believe that Moscow is a worse threat to America. Interestingly, this sentiment reflected the view of many conservative Republicans.
Richard Wike, director of global attitudes research at Pew, said Americans see the threat of China as more "multi-dimensional." This means that Beijing threatens both America's economy and national security. In contrast, Russia is viewed as less of an economic threat and more of a national security threat.
A Pew poll conducted in 2007 named Iran as the greatest U.S. threat, but it fell to third in a 2014 poll. Russia and China took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots for the 2014 survey, and both nations shared the No. 1 spot in a 2019 poll. Iran held the No. 3 spot in the 2019 survey.
"Increasingly, Americans have a negative opinion of China," remarked Wike. "They're increasingly worried about a variety of threats from China – anything from cyberattacks to economic competition, or they're concerned about Beijing's record on human rights." (Related: Director of National Intelligence calls China "National Security Threat No. 1.")
Interestingly, the July 2023 Pew survey found that a mere two percent of respondents deem North Korea as the greatest threat to the United States. Since 1948, the hermit kingdom ruled by the Kim family has voiced out its intent to destroy the U.S. – as immortalized by many propaganda posters there. Even current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the country's third-generation leader, has urged the country's military forces to be ready against American attacks.
Wike also noted that even as more and more countries surveyed by Pew espouse a negative view of China, attitudes about Russia are "overwhelmingly negative" both from a domestic and an international viewpoint.
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Watch this clip about Russia putting the U.S. on red alert with a serious nuclear threat.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
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