When the United States moved closer to banning TikTok in early 2025, something unexpected happened: hundreds of thousands of American users flocked to another Chinese platform, Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote), in search of alternatives. Around the same time, popular YouTuber IShowSpeed livestreamed his visit to China, drawing millions of viewers into unscripted, often humorous encounters with everyday life there.
These viral moments offered something rare in the current geopolitical climate: Americans saw unfiltered glimpses of China that sparked curiosity, cultural exchange, and even moments of friendship, rather than fear, stereotyping, and suspicion.
They also point to a broader dynamic: the type of media Americans consume can dramatically shape how they view China.
Public hostility toward China has surged in recent years, with unfavorable views hitting historic highs. But a new study of over 1,200 Americans reveals a striking and counterintuitive pattern. Those who consume traditional media – such as television, radio, and print newspapers – for China-related news are significantly more likely to hold hostile views of China and to support hawkish policies, including trade restrictions, student visa bans, and technology export controls. In contrast, Americans who get their China-related news through online and social media platforms exhibit notably lower levels of hostility, even after accounting for partisanship, education, and age.
The survey introduces a “Hostility Index” that goes beyond standard “favorability” ratings. Instead of simply asking whether people like or dislike China, the index captures both emotional responses and support for concrete U.S. policies aimed at containing or confronting China. Its findings challenge the common assumption that digital media platforms inherently fuels polarization or xenophobia. While these platforms are often blamed for creating echo chambers and filter bubbles, the results suggest that the diverse and decentralized content environment of digital media may actually expose users to a wider range of perspectives.
Predicted hostility toward China by age and media use. The Hostility Index ranges from 0 (least hostile) to 1 (most hostile), with 0.5 representing a neutral stance. Lines represent Americans who rely exclusively on traditional media (red), exclusively on online/social media (yellow), or use both equally (orange). Shaded areas show 95% confidence intervals.
Age plays an important moderating role, as seen in the figure above. Older Americans are generally more hostile toward China, but younger respondents show a stronger media effect. Those under 35 who rely on traditional media express especially adversarial views, perhaps because they are more impressionable and less accustomed to confrontational framings. Meanwhile, younger users of social and online media tend to hold more nuanced and less hostile views. This generational media divide suggests that digital platforms may have a particularly strong depolarizing effect among younger cohorts, which may explain why they are friendlier to China than their parents.
These findings have implications for both policymakers and the public. In an era of rising great power rivalry, the media environment plays an active role in shaping how citizens perceive foreign threats and whether they support confrontational policies. If traditional media amplifies threat narratives while digital platforms expose users to more everyday experiences abroad, then media consumption becomes a crucial domestic underpinning of international relations.
Recognizing and addressing this media-driven divergence may be key to easing public anxieties and reducing the risk of escalation. In the shadow of geopolitical competition, digital platforms may offer an unexpected tool for fostering mutual understanding, one livestream or app download at a time.