Many Citizens in Four Western US Allies Say "America Creates Problems Rather Than Solves Them"

A recent public opinion poll has revealed that a significant portion of citizens in major Western allies of the United States, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada, perceive the U.S. as a 'negative presence' in the international community rather than a 'positive presence.'

According to the survey conducted jointly by U.S. political media outlet Politico and polling firm Public First, and released on December 23 (local time), nearly half of respondents in these four countries said that the United States tends to create problems rather than solve those of other nations.

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

By country, 63% of Canadian respondents, 52% of German respondents, 47% of French respondents, and 46% of British respondents answered this way.

Regarding the role of the United States in the international community, more than half of Canadian respondents (56%) described the U.S. as a 'negative presence.' In Germany and France, 40% shared this view, outnumbering those who saw the U.S. as a 'positive presence' (29% in Germany, 34% in France).

However, in the United Kingdom, 41% viewed the United States as a 'positive presence,' which was higher than the 35% who considered it a 'negative presence.'

When asked whether the United States supports or pressures its allies, in all four countries, more respondents said the U.S. 'applies pressure' than 'provides support.' By country, the percentages who answered 'applies pressure' were 60% in Canada, 46% in Germany, 45% in France, and 41% in the United Kingdom.

In contrast, 49% of American respondents said the U.S. supports its allies, and 51% believed the U.S. plays a positive role in the international community, indicating that Americans view their country's role more favorably than citizens of allied nations do.

Since returning to office in January this year, President Donald Trump has been seen as blurring the boundaries of traditional alliances with countries such as Canada and those in Europe. In a recent Politico interview, he referred to Europe as a 'group of declining countries led by weak leaders,' and in the National Security Strategy (NSS) released earlier this month, he claimed that Europe had 'lost its national identity and confidence.'

President Trump's broad tariff policies, sharp criticism of allies, and pressure regarding defense spending are analyzed as having a negative impact on public opinion in these countries. Since taking office in January, President Trump has faced criticism for disrupting the existing international trade order with wide-ranging reciprocal tariffs, which also targeted traditional allies such as Canada and European countries. He has also pressured allies to significantly increase their defense spending and hinted at a realignment of U.S. troops stationed in the region.

Matthew Kroenig, Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, pointed out that President Trump's destabilization of long-standing alliances could allow skepticism among allied leaders to permeate public sentiment.

This poll was conducted from December 5 to 9, surveying more than 2,000 adults in each of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany-a total of 10,510 respondents. The results were weighted to reflect age, gender, and regional distribution in each country, and the margin of error for each national sample is ±2 percentage points.