‘Practical’ young Africans leaning towards China over US and away from ideology

Youth survey of 16 countries finds an overwhelming preference for the Asian power, with 95 per cent calling Beijing an ally

The African Youth Survey polled 4,901 respondents aged 18 to 24 and split equally between males and females, in 16 of Africa’s 54 countries, asking them which foreign powers had influence on their country.

The report said 81 per cent agreed that the US was influential, while 79 per cent expressed the same opinion about China.

About 95 per cent of those who identified China as influential held favourable views of the country, compared with 85 per cent of those who said the same of the US – a jump of 19 percentage points from the Asian giant’s score of 76 per cent in the 2022 edition.

Similarly, 95 per cent of all those interviewed viewed China as an ally, compared with 88 per cent that saw the US in the same light, according to the survey, conducted by the global research company PSB Insights for the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.

Much of the swing in positive feeling towards China was achieved through the physical accomplishments of the Chinese across Africa, according to South African industrialist and philanthropist Ivor Ichikowitz, who commissioned the survey.