Poll: Americans view China's economic impact as negative

From San Francisco to New York and Washington, the influence of Chinese neighborhoods and cultures can be seen in many American cities.

I think it's very influential. Look around us, we're in China's city of”, says American Rain Brody.

I think everyone likes Chinese food, like the lunar festival, Chinese New Year. So from a cultural point of view, I think it's a very good influence”, says Eugene Mosac, a visitor to Washington.

Although many Americans believe Chinese culture is a positive thing, when it comes to the influence of China on the United States economy, the survey of the Pew Research Center found that nearly three quarters of Americans have a negative perception.

The survey had a number of questions on China for people in 35 different countries, including the United States, says Laura Silver of the Pew Research Centre.

Where Americans really stand out is that they see most of China's influence as negative. In fact, more Americans say China's economic impact is negative than people in any other country that we surveyed”, she says.

China is one of the leading importers of products in the United States and several Chinese-related digital sales companies, such as Shane and Temu, have extended their activity here in the United States. Rain Brody bought products from Temu Company.

I think they offer products with really affordable prices”, she says.

Although tempted by low prices, Kendall Funasaki did not buy products from these websites.

China's “Faces like Temu have a negative effect on consumers because they encourage people to buy a lot more poor quality items, which consumers then throw away. So, I think these companies are promoting unnecessary spending on consumers”, she says.

Apart from some negative perceptions of Chinese electronics-related companies, the US government has also warned against using the TikTok app, controlled by Beijing-based ByteDance Company, says Christopher Tang, a business professor at the University of California in Los Angeles.

The US government is concerned that TikTok could be used as a tool to spread false news and unilateral view of candidates during the VMROx1> years, he says.

“Each person has his own thoughts. I think it can work anyway”, Rain Brody says.

The Pew Research Centre also found that there are differences in people's views on the influence of China based on the age of polls.

“People of senior age are a little more likely to say that China has a huge impact and that this impact is negative. This is true for example in the United States”, says Laura Silver of the Pew Research Center.

The new Brits like Tiktok, Chinese products and Shane Company. They're less concerned about the situation with China, so they see China from a relatively positive perspective. But older generations still think of war. They think about global security issues. They're more concerned about the influence of China. So, I think the poll results were not surprising”, says Christopher Tang of the University of California in Los Angeles.

Survey findings of the Pew Research Centre are based on public perception and are not real indications of China's impact on other countries' internal economies. But he may be a useful tool, says Mrs. Silver.

The “public perceptions are likely to play a role in the way politicians analyze things. So we think that offering a voice to the public is an important service”, she says.

A service that presidential candidates can use to attract more voters. / VOA