New Pew data shows U.S. views of China are less hostile than they were five years ago, especially among younger Americans and Democrats. The shift does not mean China is popular. It means outright hostility is softening.

Americans still view China negatively, but they are not as negative as they were five years ago. A new Pew Research Center survey conducted September 14–20 found that Americans give China an average score of 37 on a 100-point “feeling thermometer,” up from 28 in 2021. The share of adults with a warm view of China has risen from 11% to 19%, while the share with a cold view has fallen from 68% to 54%. Neutral views have also increased, from 20% to 27%. Those numbers do not describe a pro-China turn in American public opinion. They describe a country moving away from the sharpest levels of hostility that defined the early 2020s.

The timing is notable. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are meeting this week in Washington, bringing trade, national security and geopolitical competition back into the center of public attention. Yet Pew’s data suggests the electorate is entering that moment with a somewhat less rigid view of China than it held during the pandemic years. The share of Americans giving China a “very cold” rating between zero and 24 has fallen from 47% in 2021 to 34% today. That is still a substantial share of the public, but the direction of movement matters. Americans are not necessarily becoming enthusiastic about China. They are becoming less uniformly hostile.