Europe's trust in the US has collapsed to a historic low of 11% - poll
Kyiv • UNN
Only 11% of Europeans consider the US an ally, which is a historic low. The majority of those surveyed favor European weaponry and funding their own defense.
Europeans' trust in the US has dropped to a critical low. Only 11% of Europeans across 15 countries consider the United States an ally. This is a historic low, down from 16% six months ago and 22% in November 2024. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
The survey was conducted in May 2026 using various methods by sociological companies such as Mandate Research and YouGov among respondents aged 18 and older in Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The results, released ahead of the G7 and NATO summits, underscore Europe's declining confidence in Washington as a reliable security partner. A majority of respondents in all surveyed countries expressed doubts that the US would come to their defense in the event of an attack.
Meanwhile, 47% of respondents across the region support the idea of collective EU borrowing to fund defense initiatives, with the highest support recorded in Portugal (59%), Denmark (56%), and the Netherlands (55%).
A majority of respondents favored reducing dependence on American military equipment in favor of European alternatives, with the highest support for the "buy European" idea recorded in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
Poland was the sole exception, where a majority favored increasing purchases of American weapons, while in Germany, Italy, and Hungary, opinions on this issue diverged significantly
Recall
The majority of Ukrainians categorically do not support the idea of withdrawing troops from the Donetsk region in exchange for security guarantees from the US and Europe.