TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan was rated as the fifth most favorable country by Americans, while they considered China to be the "greatest enemy," according to a Gallup poll released on Monday (March 18).

The survey found that 41% of Americans viewed China as the "greatest enemy" of the U.S., while Russia was ranked as the second-biggest foe at 26%. However, the enmity for both countries dropped by 9 and 8 percentage points respectively from last year, as Iran has surged from 2% to 9% due to the Houthi rebel group in Yemen.

In terms of party affiliation, 67% of Republicans and 40% of independents believed China to be America's nemesis. However, only 18% of Democrats felt this way, with more at 48% labeling Russia as the greatest adversary.

The percentage of Americans who consider the U.S. itself to be the country's greatest enemy rose to 5%. This is an all-time high since the poll was first held in 2001 and put the U.S. ahead of North Korea, which 4% considered a threat. Israel and Ukraine rose to 2% in 2024 from 0% the previous year.

Only 1% of Republicans and 2% of Democrats said the U.S. is its own biggest enemy, while 11% of independents held this view.

When participants were asked their impression of various countries when given the choice of rating them as "very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable," Canada and Japan tied for first place with 83% viewing it favorably. This was followed by the U.K. at 82%, Germany at 79%, France at 78%, and Taiwan at 77%, rounding out the top five.

For Taiwan, 22% had an unfavorable opinion, while 9% had no opinion on Taiwan. In contrast, only 20% held a favorable view of China, 77% looked at it unfavorably, and 2% had no opinion.

Independents at 81% rated Taiwan favorably, followed by 77% of Democrats and 74% of Republicans. Conversely, only 7% of Republicans had a favorable opinion of China, while 20% of Democrats and 29% of independents viewed the country in a positive light.