New Delhi, Dec 1 : Most Americans view China, and not Russia or any other country, as the top threat currently facing the US, with majority of those from both the parties worried about the possibility of the two nations going to war, according to a new poll released by the Ronald Reagan Institute, Fox News reported.
The poll was conducted for this year’s Reagan National Defense Survey, with the institute comparing the results to how Americans viewed a variety of issues in 2018.
“For the first time in our survey, a majority of the American people have identified a single country as the greatest threat facing the United States: China. Fifty-two per cent of Americans named China when asked which country they see as the greatest threat to the United States, while only 14 per cent said Russia,” the report said, Fox News reported.
In contrast, only 21 per cent viewed China as the top threat in 2018, when 30 per cent had named Russia.
In 2021, China was in front for members of both parties, as 44 per cent Democrats saw it as the biggest threat, while 64 per cent Republicans said the same.
For the Democrats, this is a sharp spike, as just 20 per cent respondents from the party had named China as the greatest threat in February this year.
“Americans are also beginning to recognise the multifaceted nature of the China challenge,” the institute’s report said, pointing to a fairly even split when it comes to what people viewed as the greatest concern regarding China.
Of those participating in the poll, 20 per cent said China’s trade and economic practices, 19 per cent said its development of its military, and 17 per cent said human rights abuses.(IANS)