By Shannon Tiezzi
The Pew Research Center just released the results of a survey on U.S. and Japanese public opinion, particularly how those two countries view each other. My colleague Ankit has already covered the main takeaways from the survey for U.S.-Japan relations; however, the survey also contains interesting tidbits about perceptions of China in the U.S.
First, when asked whether it is “more important for the U.S. to have strong economic ties with” Japan or China, a plurality of Americans (43 percent) chose China, with 36 percent choosing Japan. Interestingly, however, the number of Americans prioritizing strong economic ties with China was substantially higher among young people and minorities. Among the 18-29 year-old demographic, 61 percent of Americans favored economic ties with China, compared to only 28 percent among people 65 or over. Meanwhile, 52 percent of non-whites chose China over Japan, compared to 38 percent of whites. Considering that today’s young people are tomorrow’s policymakers – and that whites are expected to be a minority in the U.S. in 30 years – those discrepancies are worth noting.
Read the full story at The Diplomat