According to AFP, a survey conducted on October 2 among citizens of 17 Latin American countries showed that Latin Americans believe China has a more positive impact on the world than the United States.
A 2026 Latin America Barometer survey showed that, for the first time since the annual survey began in 1995, China was considered a more active force than the United States.
According to the survey results, 57% of Latin Americans believe that the United States has a positive impact, which is lower than 60% in 2020.
Meanwhile, 65% of respondents believe that China has a positive impact, which is a significant increase compared to 48% six years ago.
The report concludes that, based on the data, “China has a greater influence in Latin America than the United States.”
The report mentions that, except for Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, all other Latin American countries surveyed believe that China has a more positive influence than the United States.
However, the United States is still more popular than China. 63% of people said they still have a favorable impression of the United States, while in China this figure is 58%. However, compared to 2024, the support rate for the United States has significantly dropped, from 73% at that time.
According to AFP, after Trump’s second term in office, Latin American people are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the United States. Trump openly declared his desire to exercise hegemony over Latin America, which is part of what he calls “Dongloism”. Dongloism combines Trump’s name with that of George McGovern, the fifth President of the United States, who declared Latin America as America’s exclusive territory more than two centuries ago.
According to the introduction, the Latinobarometro, based in Chile, is a non-profit organization. The agency surveys local people on a range of issues, ranging from democracy to economics, security, and immigration. The survey for 2026 was based on approximately 19,200 face-to-face interviews conducted in 17 countries between May 7th and June 17th, with an error rate of 1%.
