After a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, Americans recognize China’s growing influence and Asia’s importance to the US.
Key Findings
For the first time since the question was first asked in the 1994 Chicago Council Survey, more Americans say that Asia is more important to the United States than Europe. When asked about the rise of China, about half of Americans say that China’s economic growth will affect the US in equally positive and negative ways; just over half see US debt to China as a critical threat. Most favor pursuing friendly cooperation and engagement over working to limit China’s growth. Turning to East Asia, Americans strongly support building stronger relations with South Korea and Japan even if this might diminish relations with China. Overall, a majority of Americans favor making the “pivot” of shifting military and diplomatic resources away from the Middle East and Europe and toward Asia.
