74% of Britons Now See US as Threat to Peace

Almost three-quarters of Britons now see the United States as a serious threat to global peace, more than double the share two years ago, the latest British Social Attitudes survey has found.

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) said 74 per cent of people in Britain viewed the US as a serious threat to world peace, up from 36 per cent in 2024. The findings were released on Thursday (Nov 5).

Sky News reported that the survey, conducted by NatCen since 1983, is the UK’s longest-running study of social and political attitudes.

US Ranks Behind Russia, Israel and Iran

In the British Social Attitudes survey, Russia was seen as the biggest threat, with 89 per cent of respondents naming it. Israel was cited by 78 per cent and Iran by 75 per cent, while 62 per cent saw China as a serious threat.

Report author Sophia Gaston, a foreign policy researcher and geopolitical analyst, said it was “certainly striking” that three-quarters of the public saw Britain’s closest strategic partner as a threat. She linked the shift to Washington’s foreign policy choices under President Donald Trump.

Sky News reported that the findings come after Trump suffered a major defeat in the US midterm elections, with the Democrats gaining control of both chambers of Congress. According to Sky, Trump admitted it was “largely true” that the Iran war was to blame for the loss.

Britons Lean Towards Europe Over America

Asked which relationship best served Britain’s interests, 42 per cent chose closer ties with Western Europe, compared with 9 per cent for the US, NatCen said.

On military and defence interests, 37 per cent favoured Western Europe and 14 per cent the US, while 39 per cent said both equally. When the European Union was offered in place of Western Europe, 46 per cent chose the EU and 10 per cent the US.

Gaston said it would be a mistake to conclude that Britons saw defence in binary terms of Europe versus America.

Record Support for Higher Defence Spending

For the first time, a majority of Britons backed higher defence spending, at a record 56 per cent, up from 42 per cent in 2022 and 28 per cent in 2006.

Support was highest among Reform UK supporters at 83 per cent, followed by Conservative supporters at 76 per cent and Labour supporters at 55 per cent, the survey found.

Gaston said the post-Cold War peace no longer shaped the country’s worldview, and that further change was possible closer to 2028.

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