60 Percent of Americans Say China a Bigger Threat Than Russia in New Poll

According to a Quinnipiac University Poll, 60 percent of Americans considered China a greater threat to the United States than Russia.

The poll, which was conducted between March 9–13, asked 1,795 American adults about their views on a range of political topics. One question asked respondents who they considered the most dangerous to the United States from the countries of China Russia North Korea Iran Venezuela and Cuba.

A majority of the 61 percent considered China the largest threat to the United States. 22 percent believed Russia. Eight percent of respondents said North Korea is the most dangerous, and two percent said Iran. A mere 1% of respondents identified Venezuela and Cuba as the greatest threat. Three percent of respondents indicated an unlisted option, while four percent stated they didn’t know.

All party lines responded that China was their top concern. China was cited as the greatest threat by the United States by 79 percent, 64 percent, and 47 per cent of Democrats.

However, 38% of Democrats, 18% of Independents and 10% of Republicans considered Russia to be the top threat.

Quinnipiac’s findings are very similar to those of a Gallup Poll, where 50 percent of respondents thought China was the most dangerous to the United States. This is in contrast to 32% who believed Russia was the greater threat. This Gallup poll showed that Americans have a wider view of China than they did in the Quinnipiac survey. More than eight out ten Americans were negative about China.

China and TikTok

In recent months, U.S. officials expressed increased concern about China and its ruling communist Party.

U.S. officials denounced the February transit of a Chinese high altitude balloon above U.S. airspace. They claimed that the balloon was part of recent spying efforts by China.

U.S. officials pointed out TikTok, a popular social media platform, as another way for Chinese government actors in China to spy on Americans. TikTok’s parent company is ByteDance in China.

Multiple reports have shown that TikTok or ByteDance employees could and had accessed U.S. data from China.

Christopher Wray, FBI Director has also warned TikTok that it could be used for influence operations against U.S. Citizens. TikTok can manipulate users’ content to promote views favorable towards the Chinese Communist Party.

According to a Quinnipiac University Poll, 49% preferred the ban of the app in the United States. Only 42 percent opposed it. Nine percent of respondents said that they aren’t sure where they stand on the issue.

Respondents’ political views were not the same as respondents’. 64 percent of Republicans supported a ban on TikTok, while 50 percent of independents supported it. The app ban was opposed by 51 percent of Democrats, and supported by 39 percent.

COVID: The Origins

COVID-19, another factor that has made Americans suspicious of Chinese leadership, has risen again in recent weeks. The U.S. Department of Energy determined that the likely source of the deadly virus was a laboratory leak in February. In the same week, FBI affirmed its belief that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory leak. The FBI stated that its assessment was made using “moderate confidence,” According to Wall Street Journal.

Proponents of the lab leak theory specifically mention the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China as the probable source of COVID-19. In Wuhan, the first cases of COVID-19 was reported. The lab’s members were also reported to have become sick during the early stages.

Sixty-four percent of Quinnipiac University respondents believed that COVID-19 was caused by a lab leak. Twenty-two percent thought it could be natural transmission. Two percent suggested that the virus could have originated from something else.

Both 87 percent of Republican respondents and 67 percent of independent respondents support the lab leak theory. This theory is also supported 42 percent of Democrat respondents.

NTD News