Americans think China will be superpower before India

A majority of American adults think that China, rather than India, would be a superpower in ten years with most more concerned about its military strength than its economic power, says a new survey. Currently, only two percent think India is a superpower but 20 percent believe it would attain that position in the next decade, the Harris poll showed.

However, 70 percent think China would a superpower in ten years, followed by the European Union (31 percent), Britain (25 percent), India and Russia (15 percent). Americans also appear to be relatively more concerned about the potential of economic and military growth in China than they are in the EU, India, Japan, Russia and Britain, the poll showed.

At present, 67 percent think the United States is an economic superpower, followed by Japan (30 percent), China (29 percent), Britain (18 percent), European Union (14 percent), Russia (6 percent) and India (2 percent).

The authors of the survey say it's worth noting that only 15 percent of adults think Russia will be a superpower in 10 years, adding this indicates how far Russia has slipped in the minds of Americans since the Cold War. However, more than half the respondents expressed extreme concern about China's military strength, the poll showed.

While just under half of American adults think that no country or regions will be stronger than the United States in 10 years, four in 10 (42 percent) think that China will be stronger than the United States.

About a quarter think that China would be weaker than the United States in 10 years. The proportion saying China will become stronger than the US is two to three times greater than the proportion saying other countries or regions such as Japan or the European Union will become stronger than the US.

Many economists, the authors say, feel that it is in the best interest of the US if economies of countries like China, India, and Russia grow.

However, US adults also express some concern. For example, 53 percent think that China will have a negative effect on the future of the US economy, as compared to 23 percent who think that China would have a positive effect.

Other countries perceived to have more of a negative effect than a positive effect on the future of the US economy include India and Russia, though for these countries, substantial numbers feel that the effect will be more neutral than either positive or negative.