More than one-third of Chinese Americans have an unfavorable opinion of China

A large majority (78%) of Americans of Asian descent have positive feelings toward their countries of origin. Chinese Americans are the exception.

Published by

Verónica Silveri Pazos Alejandro Baños

30 de julio, 2023

Topics:

China

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that more than one-third (35%) of Americans with Chinese origins do not have a favorable opinion of the country where their ancestors (China) come from.

The survey asked more than 7,000 Asian Americans of various nationalities about their feelings toward their countries of origin. Most of them responded favorably, except for the Chinese:

Overall, Asian Americans have positive feelings toward their ancestral homelands, with the exception of Chinese Americans, of whom only 41% view mainland China favorably. About four in ten Chinese Americans view China positively, and about one-third (35%) view the country unfavorably. About one-fifth say they have neither a favorable nor unfavorable view of China.

The study noted that Americans of Chinese heritage have the distinction of "being one of the few origin groups that rate other Asian places more favorably than their own place of origin: more Chinese Americans say they have positive views of Japan, Taiwan and South Korea than China."

Asians' view of the U.S. and other nations

A large majority (78%) of Asian Americans view the U.S. favorably. Among them, 44% have a 'very favorable' view of the country. And 68% also have favorable opinions of Japan, 62% of South Korea and Taiwan (56%).

When naming China, more than half (52%) of Americans with Asian heritage have a 'predominantly negative' view of that country. Only 20% of them view it favorably, and 26% claim to have no favorable or unfavorable opinion.

Most Asians would not return to their home country

The majority of Americans of Asian descent (three-quarters) said they would not move - or return, had they been born there - to their country of origin. Twenty-six percent said they would do so if they had the opportunity.

Asians born outside the US (immigrants) are 'twice as likely' as Asian Americans (US-born) to say they would move to the country of their origins (30% vs. 14%).

The survey highlighted the importance of length of residence in the country as a fundamental factor, since "interest in moving to their countries of origin is lower among immigrants who have been in the U.S. for longer":

About half (47%) of Asian immigrants who have been in the U.S. for 10 years or less say they would move back to their ancestral homeland, compared with about one in five (22%) who have been in the U.S. for more than 20 years.