Three-quarters of Britons view US as serious threat to peace

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 13:26 · Archive

Seventy-four per cent of Britons now see the US as a serious threat to global peace, more than double the 36 per cent recorded two years ago.

A new British social attitudes survey published by the National Centre for Social Research shows 74 per cent of Britons now perceive the US as a serious threat to global peace. This represents a sharp increase from 36 per cent in 2024, before Donald Trump's January 2025 inauguration for his second presidential term.

The perceived threat level from the US remains below that for Russia at 89 per cent, but is comparable to figures for Israel at 78 per cent and Iran at 75 per cent. It is higher than the threat level Britons perceive from China at 62 per cent and North Korea at 66 per cent.

The survey found a parallel shift in attitudes towards Europe. Forty-two per cent of Britons now believe their country's interests are best served by a closer relationship with western Europe, compared with only 9 per cent who favour closer ties with the US. When asked specifically about defence interests, 37 per cent favoured western Europe, 14 per cent selected the US, and 39 per cent answered "both equally".

When asked to choose directly between the EU and the US regarding defence interests, 46 per cent chose closer ties with the EU, compared to just 10 per cent selecting the US. Support for this position varied by political affiliation: 55 per cent of Conservative supporters and 54 per cent of Reform UK supporters said "both equally", whilst only 19 per cent of Green Party supporters shared that view.

The survey also found that a majority of the British public now supports increased defence spending. The National Centre for Social Research reported that Britons have "undoubtedly become more favourable towards Europe" and "in a clear break with the post-Brexit era, people have a clearer understanding of what the EU is and value practical ties".

How it is being reported

• Brits believe Trump's US is bigger world peace threat than China or North Korea as support for defence spending boost and close European ties growsThe survey found about three-quarters of Britons now perceive the US as a serious threat to global peace, compared with just over a third in 2024, before Trump's second inauguration as president.Daily Mail · 5 Nov, 11:58
• Almost 75% of Britons view US as serious threat to global peaceAlmost three-quarters of Britons believe the US to be a serious threat to global peace - more than double the figure from two years ago - according to a new survey.Sky News · 5 Nov, 03:34
• Vast Majority Of Brits Now See Trump's America As A Serious Threat To Global PeaceThree-quarters of Britons see Donald Trump’s America as a serious threat to global peace, according to a new report. The British Social Attitudes survey found 74% of the general public seem wary of the US’s place on the world stage – a stark change compared to two years ago, before Trump began his second term in office. At that time, just a third (36%) of the British general public felt that way. According to the report published by the National Centre for Social Research, that’s almost the same threat level Brits feel about Iran (75%) and Israel (78%). The perceived threat level is still…HuffPost UK · 5 Nov, 01:00
• Almost three-quarters of Brits view US as serious threat to world peace under Trump, survey revealsThe survey revealed how Britons have now ‘become more favourable towards Europe’The Independent · 5 Nov, 00:01

In this story: National Centre for Social Research · Donald Trump · United States · Russia · Israel · Iran · China · United Kingdom

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