Nearly half of adults in the United States believe China is the country that represents the nation’s greatest threat, according to new polling.
In a Gallup survey released on Tuesday, 1,021 respondents were asked, “What one country anywhere in the world do you consider to be the United States’ greatest enemy today?” Forty-five percent of the respondents said China.
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In a similar poll last year, only 22% of respondents gave China as their answer.
The participants were interviewed between Feb. 3 and Feb. 18, and the poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The 2020 poll was also conducted in February, meaning it took place before most of the country locked down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In the newly released poll, 26% of participants gave Russia as their response, 9% said North Korea, 4% said Iran, and 2% said Iraq. In 2020, 23% answered Russia, 12% said North Korea, 19% said Iran, and 7% said Iraq.
Over the past 20 years that the survey has asked which country is considered the “United States’ greatest enemy,” 45% is the highest percentage China has received, with the next closest being 23%.
The poll also showed a significant partisan gap among those who viewed China as the nation’s greatest threat. Seventy-six percent of Republicans polled answered China, compared to 43% of independents and 22% of Democrats. Forty-seven percent of Democrats listed Russia as the greatest threat to the U.S. Only 24% of independents and 6% of Republicans gave the same answer.
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It is likely that the impact of the coronavirus, which was first discovered in China, influenced this year’s results. Many believe COVID-19 has led to a rise in anti-Asian sentiment. Hate crimes against Asian Americans spiked 150% throughout 2020, according to a study conducted by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. As of Tuesday, the U.S. has seen over 29,400,00 cases and over 535,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
