New poll shows majority in the U.S. support peaceful engagement with North Korea and China

A new public opinion poll commissioned by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and conducted by the Harris Poll examined U.S. public attitudes toward peace and humanitarian issues with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) and China. The poll revealed that many adults living in the United States agree that work must be done together to build relationships and reduce tensions. Like prior AFSC polling in 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2021, a majority of adults living in the U.S. continue to support nonviolent engagement and practical steps to reduce tensions between the countries.

The poll conducted January 13-15, 2026, among 2,085 U.S. adults 18+ shows growing support for actions that move the Korean Peninsula towards sustained diplomacy. A majority of U.S. adults (55%) believe the U.S. government should end the Korean War by signing a peace agreement. Nearly two-thirds (63%) agree that the U.S. should establish a diplomatic presence in North Korea, such as a liaison office. Support remains high for direct engagement at the leadership level, with 69% agreeing the U.S. president should offer to hold meetings with the North Korean leader. Nearly two-thirds (65%) also support offering diplomatic and economic incentives in exchange for steps toward denuclearization.

"I believe we're beginning to see a shift in U.S. public opinion towards greater openness to engaging North Korea. This year we found that over half of respondents show support for ending the Korean War and establishing diplomatic relations between the U.S. and North Korea, higher than since we began polling on these issues in 2021," said Austin Headrick, Asia Regional Advocacy Coordinator at AFSC. "The public wants peace, so Congress should pursue peace."

The poll also indicates record support for humanitarian access and people-to-people engagement with North Korea. A majority (58%) agree that humanitarian aid workers from privately funded charities should be allowed to travel to North Korea without restrictions from the U.S. government, the highest level since AFSC began polling on this question. Nearly two-thirds (64%) agree the U.S. government should allow privately funded charities to deliver humanitarian assistance to people in North Korea, repatriating the remains of U.S. service members left in North Korea (75%) and reuniting Korean Americans with their North Korean family members (71%). You can read the detailed breakdown in this report.

The 2026 poll shows majority support for lifting sanctions when they harm civilians or block cooperation on global challenges. Sixty-six percent (66%) of U.S. adults agree that the U.S. should lift sanctions if they interfere with humanitarian aid and global public health, violate international legal principles (64%), harm ordinary people's livelihood (63%) and hinder cooperation on climate change (57%). You can read the following article for a breakdown of important results from this study.

"The polling data is clear that the public supports privately funded organizations traveling to and working with people in the DPRK on humanitarian concerns. The U.S. government should listen to the voice of the people and lift barriers that curtail engagement, most notably the travel ban restricting the use of U.S. passports for travel to the DPRK," said Jennifer Deibert, DPRK Program Director at AFSC.

The poll also finds strong support for diplomacy with China. Nearly two-thirds (65%) say the U.S. government should engage in dialogue with China as much as possible to reduce tensions. When asked what area should be prioritized for cooperation, respondents most often selected nuclear non-proliferation (26%) and trade and economics (23%).

AFSC has been engaged with North Korea since 1980. As a Quaker organization, AFSC works to build mutual understanding and reduce tensions through dialogue, humanitarian engagement, and principled advocacy. As part of that work, AFSC conducts periodic polling to capture the attitudes of U.S. adults toward engagement with North Korea, China, and the region.

The 2026 survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of AFSC from January 13 to 15, 2026, among 2,085 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within plus or minus 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Austin Headrick at [email protected]. You can read the entire report here.

# # #

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.