earticle

영어

In the age of globalization, understanding what and how foreign publics think of a nation is essential because it provides valuable insights into the directions of public diplomacy. In this regard, this study examined the American public’s perceptions of China - particularly, its significant hard and soft power factors and overall world influence. A dataset of 2,046 responses was analyzed from the 2018 national survey in the U.S. While two hard power factors (i.e., economic power and military strength) were the strongest predictors of an evaluation of China’s world influence, soft power factors, such as presidential image and technology/innovation, also contributed to a positive evaluation of China. This study showed current challenges being faced by China as well as opportunities for Chinese public diplomacy efforts.