Human Rights

Unfavorable views of China reach new historic high, and a majority supports taking a tougher stand on human rights.

Every UN member state faces a periodic review of its human rights record. But the issues raised in these reviews can vary depending on which countries are doing the reviewing.

The U.S. has more foreign students enrolled in its colleges and universities than any other country in the world. Explore data about foreign students in the U.S. higher education system.

Pew Research Center examined attitudes toward human rights organizations in four major emerging and developing nations: India, Indonesia, Kenya and Mexico.

Overall, 48% of Americans say there are some circumstances under which the use of torture is acceptable in U.S. anti-terrorism efforts.

Many favor looking inward to focus on domestic issues, while others question whether commitments to allies should take precedence over national interests.

The view that torture may be justified is most common in sub-Saharan Africa, where a median of 55% hold this view; it is least common in Latin America (a median of 25%). In the U.S., 58% say torture can be justified as part of efforts to prevent terrorist attacks.

Americans see a number of economic threats from China, but they are also worried about cyberattacks, Bejing's human rights record, China's impact on the environment and its growing military strength.

Ratings for the U.S. remain mostly positive, with a global median of 69% expressing a favorable view. Countries also express broad support for America's military efforts against ISIS, but are critical of the U.S. government's use of torture after 9/11.

About half of young Europeans ages 18 to 33 have a positive view of China, but that view is tempered by their opinions about that country's human rights record.