Americans think working with allies and partners is the best response to China’s challenge.

A plurality of the U.S. public (45%) thinks the best approach toward China on national security concerns is to prioritize cooperation with allies and partners even if it harms relations with China.

CSIS | Public Q5

By the Numbers

45%
of the U.S. public thinks the U.S. should prioritize cooperation with allies and partners even if it harms relations with China.
48%
of Independents, 47% of Republicans and 42% of Democrats surveyed believe the United States should prioritize cooperation with allies and partners even if it harms relations with China.

There is bipartisan support for this approach: 42% of Democrats, 47% of Republicans, and 48% of independents believe the United States should prioritize cooperation with allies and partners over an array of other strategic approaches.

According to the 2020 Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey, 77% of Americans think the United States should prioritize building up strong relations with traditional allies such as Japan and South Korea, even if this diminishes U.S. relations with China, an increase from 66% in 2018.

However, a narrow plurality (31%) of younger Americans (ages 18–30) who responded to the CSIS survey thinks the best approach is to prioritize cooperation with China even if it harms the interests of U.S. allies and partners. This is consistent with the previous result, suggesting younger Americans are relatively less threatened by China. At the same time, surveys by the Center for American Progress indicate that younger Americans are in favor of having strong allies: in 2019, "improving relationships with allies" was the third-highest priority for Millennials (33%). This may reflect an overall willingness in that demographic to improve all international relations.