Latin American Survey Finds China Surpasses United States as Preferred Global Influence
A 2026 Latinobarometro poll across 17 Latin American nations shows China now viewed more positively than the United States for the first time since the survey began.
Latinobarometro released its 2026 poll indicating a shift in Latin American public opinion, with 65% of participants rating China as a positive global force, a rise from 48% in 2020, while 57% view the United States positively, down from 60% in the same period. The research, based on roughly 19,200 in-person interviews across 17 countries, marks the first time China has outranked the U.S. since the survey's inception in 1995.
Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic remain the only nations where U.S. influence is seen more favorably. Overall U.S. favorability also dropped from 73% in 2024, when President Joe Biden was still in office, to 63% now. The poll referenced recent U.S. actions, such as the January operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which most respondents approved of but did not view as beneficial for Venezuela. Latinobarometro, a Chile-based nonprofit, noted a margin of error of 1% for the findings.
Why it matters
The shift signals changing geopolitical preferences in Latin America, affecting future U.S. and Chinese diplomatic and economic strategies.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the same poll results, noting China’s rise and the United States’ decline in favorability across Latin America, with no substantive difference in framing.
LEFT
Left-leaning coverage highlights the growing Chinese favorability and the slipping U.S. approval, emphasizing the regional shift toward China.
RIGHT
Right-leaning coverage stresses the historic nature of China overtaking the U.S. in the survey and links the shift to recent U.S. actions such as the removal of Maduro.
The left emphasises
- China is a positive global influence for 65% of respondents
- U.S. approval has slipped from 60% to 57%
- Only Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic favor U.S. influence
The right emphasises
- First time China outranks the U.S. since the survey began in 1995
- Poll references recent U.S. actions, such as the January operation removing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
- U.S. favorability dropped from 73% in 2024 to 63% now
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