Survey finds popular support for NATO at a challenging time for the Western alliance
A survey of people in 13 of the nations belonging to NATO found a median of about 6 in 10 held a favorable view of the Western military alliance, the Pew Research Center said Tuesday.
The poll was released ahead of a July 9-11 NATO summit in Washington, which is being held at a challenging time for the 75-year-old Western military alliance. The 32 NATO member countries are adjusting their long-term plans and strategies to counteract a more aggressive Russian President Vladimir Putin and respond to Ukraine’s need for sustained support against invading Russian forces.
Meanwhile, the presidential reelection bid of Donald Trump , who long has spoken scathingly of NATO allies and admiringly of Putin , has some NATO members worrying about the future commitment of the alliance’s most powerful military and economy.
Support for NATO among the 13 nations surveyed peaked at 91% in Poland followed by 75% in the Netherlands and 72% in Sweden. Poland and Sweden are neighbors of Russia – Sweden through a maritime border and Poland with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad – and Sweden is one of the alliance’s newest members, formally joining this year in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Just 37% of adults in Greece said they supported NATO, the lowest percentage of the countries surveyed, while 59% of adults there said they hold an unfavorable view of the alliance. Greece shares religious and cultural ties with Russia.
The survey found 63% of people in Canada viewed NATO favorably, 66% in Britain, 64% in Germany, 63% in Hungary, 60% in Italy, 54% in France, 45% in Spain and 42% in Turkey. The figure for Turkey represented a near-doubling in support for NATO since the question was asked in 2019.
Pew earlier released results for the US, which show 58% support for NATO. The survey was conducted from early January to mid-May.
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