Americans' views of China have improved modestly over the past three years, with younger people and Democrats leading the shift as social media trends, cultural exchanges and frustration with domestic politics reshape how many in the United States see its chief competitor.

A Pew Research Center survey published in April found 27% of Americans now hold a favorable view of China, up six percentage points from last year and nearly double the level recorded in 2023. Fewer Americans now describe China as an "enemy," while more see it as a competitor rather than a direct adversary.

Washington and Beijing are navigating renewed tensions over trade and technology ahead of an expected meeting between the two countries' leaders.

The polling points to a softer shift beneath the political confrontation, particularly among younger Americans who have grown up in a globalized digital environment.

According to Pew, about one-third of Americans under 50 hold favorable views of China, compared with just 19% among older adults. Americans under 50 are also far less likely to describe China as an enemy of the US.

Sun Xiuwen, an associate professor at Lanzhou University currently participating in an academic exchange program in the US, said younger Americans tend to approach China in less ideological terms.

"They grew up amid globalization, the internet and cross-cultural interaction," Sun told the Global Times. "They are more willing to accept a relationship that involves both competition and cooperation."

Social media has amplified that generational divide. Since last year, waves of American users migrated to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, known overseas as RedNote, during uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future in the United States. The episode was seen as an unprecedented burst of online cross-cultural interaction between Chinese and Western users.

At the same time, TikTok trends such as "Becoming Chinese" and "Chinamaxxing" have spread widely among Gen Z users in the West, with influencers embracing Chinese wellness habits, food and lifestyle practices. Major Western media outlets have linked the phenomenon partly to growing curiosity about Chinese culture and partly to disillusionment among younger Americans with life at home.

Jennifer Beckett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at the University of Melbourne, said the rise of online trends linked to Chinese culture reflects broader unease over political polarization in the US and global instability.

Some young Americans appear drawn to ideas of "collectivism and community" as US political rhetoric increasingly focuses on questions of identity and belonging, creating a sense of social disconnection that many feel is missing in their own lives, Beckett told SBS News.

Analysts also say repeated exposure to ordinary aspects of Chinese daily life may be softening perceptions that were once shaped mainly by political rhetoric and security disputes.

Zhu Ying, director of the US Studies Center at the Baize Institute for Strategic Studies at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said disappointment with unfulfilled political promises and persistent inflation in the United States has contributed to public frustration.

At the same time, he said, many Americans increasingly view China as playing a stabilizing role in multilateral affairs, encouraging a more pragmatic assessment of Beijing's foreign policy.

"Social media and people-to-people exchanges help present a more direct and authentic image of China," Zhu told the Global Times. "Together they have contributed to a moderate shift in American perceptions."

Cultural diplomacy has also regained visibility after years of pandemic-era disruption.

China is set to send giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang to the United States, reviving a longstanding symbol of bilateral goodwill. The two countries have also expanded educational and youth exchanges under China's "50,000 in Five Years" initiative, which aims to bring 50,000 young Americans to China over five years through study and exchange programs.

This year also marks the 55th anniversary of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," the table tennis exchanges that helped reopen relations between China and the United States in the 1970s.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng has said that more Americans now recognize that stable bilateral ties are essential not only for both countries but also for global stability and prosperity.