CN Survey: "Tariff bullying" significantly harms the global reputation of the U.S.
CN Poll: Tariff bullying does significant harm to the U.S.

The polls were carried out in February and April of this year by CN in collaboration with Renmin University of China, via the Institute of International Communication in the New Era. The survey gathered responses from a total of 15,947 individuals across 38 countries, including both developed nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan, and developing nations like Mexico, South Africa, and Malaysia.
According to the findings, 74.2 percent of global respondents believe that U.S. tariff policies will significantly hinder their countries' economic growth—an increase of 16.3 percentage points from the previous two months. Notably, negative perceptions rose the most among respondents from Saudi Arabia and Serbia, both showing an increase of 28.5 percentage points. In Greece and Chile, disapproval grew by 26 percentage points, and in Indonesia, it increased by 24 points. Participants in Malaysia, Israel, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Nigeria, Portugal, Pakistan, and South Africa also reported over a 20 percentage point rise in negative views regarding U.S. tariff policy.
Countries heavily affected by U.S. tariff measures, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, are increasingly opposing U.S. trade policies. Among respondents from these five nations, 60.2 percent feel that "tightening export controls and unilateral sanctions" hampers their national development—an increase of 15.5 percentage points since the last survey. Additionally, 69.4 percent oppose "restrictions on foreign tech company investments," an increase of 14.3 percentage points, while 61.5 percent believe that the U.S. initiative to "reduce dependence on imports and supply chains" negatively impacts their countries, up by 12.3 percentage points.
There is also a surge of dissatisfaction with tariff policies within the U.S., with many respondents regarding them as harmful to their everyday lives. Specifically, 53.1 percent of American respondents believe the "reciprocal tariff" policy undermines the stock market; 52 percent worry it may increase the cost of industrial raw materials; 49.4 percent think it will hurt agricultural exports; 48.1 percent say it will add to household expenses; and 43.7 percent are concerned it could lead to reduced pensions.
China's countermeasures against U.S. tariff bullying have garnered robust global support. In the surveyed countries, 37 nations expressed more support than opposition for China's actions. Among developing countries, respondents in Kenya, Egypt, Turkey, Brazil, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Peru, Nigeria, Malaysia, the UAE, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia reported support rates exceeding 70 percent, with Kenya leading at 82.5 percent. In developed countries, the United Kingdom topped the G7 with a support rate of 70.5 percent, followed closely by Canada at 69.5 percent, then Germany and France at 66 percent and 65.5 percent, respectively.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
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