In a striking reversal of public sentiment, Catalans now hold a more favourable view of China than of the United States, a historic shift since Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House. The findings come from a major new survey, which also points to a rise in support for far-right parties within Catalonia.
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The data, published on Thursday, comes from the 2025 longitudinal survey by the Citizen Panel of Catalonia, conducted by the government’s Centre d’Estudis d’Opinió (CEO). This comprehensive poll surveyed 6,706 people over the age of 16 between October and December, with respondents rating their sympathy for various countries on a scale of one to ten.
For the first time, the Asian superpower outranked its Western rival. Respondents gave China an average sympathy score of 4.7 out of 10. In contrast, the United States’ rating fell to just 3.7. This marks a significant recalibration of Catalan attitudes towards global powers, a trend polling suggests began during Donald Trump’s presidency.
A Transatlantic Rift
The survey’s findings place the US on a far lower footing than Catalonia’s European partners. The European Union remains highly regarded, with a sympathy score of 6.5, though this figure reflects a slight and steady decline from 6.7 in 2023. Sympathy for Russia, meanwhile, remains exceptionally low, standing at 2.6 for the third consecutive year.
Regarding the EU’s future, Catalans appear divided but generally support the current framework. Twenty-six per cent believe the bloc should maintain its existing powers, while 23% advocate for increasing them. Only 12% of respondents think the EU should have less authority than it does now.
The shift in attitudes towards the US and China in Catalonia mirrors a wider European trend observed over the past decade. Studies by organisations like the European Council on Foreign Relations have consistently shown that Trump’s “America First” foreign policy cooled public opinion across the continent, creating a vacuum China, as a major economic partner, has partially filled. The relationship remains complex, touching everything from high-tech industry to local agriculture, as seen when China recently banned pork imports from Tarragona over swine fever fears.
Far-Right Gains Ground as Mainstream Parties Slip
The CEO survey also revealed significant shifts in the domestic political landscape, showing growing sympathy for far-right parties. Support for the nationalist party Vox, led in the region by Ignacio Garriga, has risen steadily from 0.8 in 2023 to 1.4 in 2025.
Similarly, the pro-independence, anti-immigration party Aliança Catalana, fronted by Sílvia Orriols, saw its average sympathy score increase from 1.9 to 2.4 in the past year. These gains come as several mainstream parties have seen their public standing erode, according to data first reported by 20 Minutos.
The Socialists’ Party of Catalonia (PSC), which currently leads the Catalan government, fell from a high of 4.4 in 2023 to 3.9. The main pro-independence party, Junts per Catalunya, also declined, dropping from 3.4 to 2.8 over the same period. Its rival, the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), saw its score dip and then recover slightly to 4.0 in 2025.
Support for the conservative People’s Party (PP) remained stable at a low 1.5, whilst the left-wing coalition Catalunya en Comú registered a score of 3.0. The results paint a picture of a region undergoing a dual realignment: one in its view of the world and another in its own political affiliations.
