The survey of about 26,000 people found that most respondents in almost all 21 participating countries believed that China will have more global influence over the next decade. Meanwhile, opinions of the U.S. among its traditional allies and adversaries have shifted, while generally expectations of Trump have fallen a year into his presidency.
“A year on from Trump’s return, in countries across the globe, many people believe China is on the verge of becoming even more powerful,” the report said.
The survey was conducted by ECFR and Oxford University’s Europe in a Changing World in November 2025, prior to the U.S. abduction of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January. The 21 countries that participated were Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, the U.K., Ukraine, the U.S., and 10 E.U. countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain). The views of the E.U. countries were represented by a simple average of each country’s results.
