Forty-one percent of Americans name China as the United States’ greatest enemy today, making it the top perceived U.S. adversary for the fourth straight year. Russia ranks second, cited by 26%, followed by Iran at 9%.
Five percent of national adults now name the United States itself, edging out North Korea at 4%.
Although still dominating the perceived U.S. enemies list, China and Russia are named by smaller percentages of Americans than they were a year ago — falling by nine and six percentage points, respectively — while references to Iran have grown by seven points. This follows months of news about Iran’s support for the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group that has escalated its attacks in the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, including firing missiles at Israel and attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea.
China Policy Research 