Most of Seven Western European Countries Say "US Should Impose Retaliatory Tariffs Against Trump"

YouGov Announces Results of Public Opinion Survey
in Seven Western European Countries

A public opinion survey conducted among citizens of seven Western European countries revealed that the majority support imposing retaliatory tariffs on American products in response to the tariff policies of the Donald Trump administration.

On the 1st (local time), polling firm YouGov announced that a survey conducted from the 6th to the 24th of last month among 9,452 people in seven countries? the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Denmark?showed that in all countries, the majority favored imposing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by Yonhap News

The highest approval rate was in Denmark, where 79% supported retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. Denmark's sentiment toward the U.S. recently worsened following President Trump's remarks about the Greenland acquisition.

Following Denmark, Sweden (73%), the United Kingdom (71%), and Spain (70%) also showed that the majority of their citizens supported retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

In Germany, home to large automobile manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, and France, which exports alcoholic beverages worth 4 billion euros annually to the U.S., 68% supported the tariffs.

Italy had the lowest approval rate for imposing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., but still a majority of 56% supported it.

In all seven surveyed countries, most respondents expressed the view that retaliatory tariffs are inevitable even if they negatively impact their own economies.

In Germany, 75% of respondents predicted that retaliatory tariffs would have a 'significant' or 'somewhat' negative effect. In Spain, 71%; France and Italy, 70% each; Sweden, 62%; the United Kingdom, 60%; and Denmark, 50% anticipated negative impacts.

Among the six European Union (EU) member countries surveyed, excluding the United Kingdom, most expected that U.S. tariffs would have a considerable impact on the EU economy. Spain showed the highest expectation at 76%, while Denmark was the lowest at 60%.

Regarding President Trump's claim that trade with the EU is very unfair to the U.S., the majority of respondents disagreed. In Denmark, 67% said the trade was fair, the highest among the countries. Italy had the lowest rate, with 40% saying trade was fair. The highest agreement with President Trump's remarks was in Spain at 18%, and the lowest in Denmark at 7%. In the United Kingdom, 55% said trade was fair.