Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a combination of economic stimulus measures and the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes have led to the explosive growth of the U.S. national debt, repeatedly triggering the alarm of debt default and spreading panic internationally.

Some 81.51 percent of respondents to a global opinion poll conducted by CGTN agreed that U.S. economic problems cannot be fundamentally solved by simply raising the debt ceiling, and a huge majority – 88.52 percent – said the debt ceiling issue has become a partisan tool, further exacerbating the crisis. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the U.S. will face a catastrophic default in early June if the debt ceiling is not raised. In the survey, 60.18 percent of respondents worried that the U.S. debt crisis would lead to a sharp rise in unemployment and borrowing costs, and the banking sector might be hit by a new financial "tsunami."  

Meanwhile, 85 percent of respondents agreed that the dollar's status as the world's main reserve currency would be weakened by its ongoing debt crisis. Another 60.77 percent agreed that if the U.S. defaults, global financial markets would suffer a shock, which would bring disaster to developing countries and global economic stability.

The poll, published by CGTN in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms, received responses from 57,957 people in 24 hours.