After an interval of five years, U.S. President Obama will visit China again next month. Many observers believe that Obama's visit will help to ease mutual Sino-US suspicions, and enhance mutual understanding.

Contemporary China Pictorial has published two recent documents describing the impressions of ordinary Americans on China and its role in the international arena. Based on survey data obtained through random sampling, the documents provide new information on how Americans see China.

The data is from a special survey jointly designed by Shanghai Jiaotong University and Duke University in the U.S. and carried out between June and August 2010. The survey was conducted by Survey Research Center at Indiana University through telephone interviews.

The study found that Americans are a good deal more interested in China than one would generally expect. Nearly eighty percent of respondents were interested in reading China-related news, and eight percent of them had been to China before.

The way in which Americans get to know about the country affects their attitude to China. People who read newspapers or visit China in person often hold positive views; while people who know China through broadcasting or TV programs tend to have a much more negative opinion.

Although China has put in place a strategy to enhance foreign understanding of Chinese culture, through measures including hosting the Olympic Games, promoting Confucius Institutes, and organizing events which promote the national image, it seems that many ordinary Americans are not buying it.

The survey shows that less than thirty percent of the Americans believe that Chinese pop culture is attractive, and only forty percent of them are aware that China has a rich historical and cultural heritage. On the whole, American people have a limited positive opinion of China. In the eyes of the American people, the Japanese, the Indians, and even the Russians have more appeal than the Chinese.

Specifically, the American attitude towards China is very much individualized. The survey found that young people generally hold more positive opinions than older people, and people of sixty to seventy years old expressed the deepest hostility. Meanwhile, highly educated respondents tend to be more positive, while gender, income and other factors have no significant effect on their attitude.

In general, China's economic strength and international influence have already been recognized by the American people. However, in "soft power" areas including culture and international image, China still has a long way to go.

Since the study samples were collected through telephone interviews, it is possible that the survey has overestimated the American public's interest in China; those who are not so interested in the subject are more likely to hang up the phone before the interview begins.

This article was edited and translated from 《美国民众究竟如何看待中国》, source: Elite Reference, Author: Tao Yu.