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Negative views of US jump among Europeans: polls

By AFP
May 09, 2026
Tourists with suitcases in front of an apartment looking for their Airbnb in Paris, June 2, 2024. — AFP
Tourists with suitcases in front of an apartment looking for their Airbnb in Paris, June 2, 2024. — AFP

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Three-quarters of Europeans hold a negative view of the United States, a sharp jump compared to late last year, according to a wide-ranging survey published on Friday.

Based on polling across the EU´s 27 member states, the share of people with an unfavourable opinion of the United States has risen 14 points since October-November 2025, to hit 74 per cent.

Just 24 per cent of Europeans now view the country positively, the Eurobarometer survey found.

By comparison, 83 per cent of EU citizens polled held a negative view of Russia, 61 per cent of China and 41 per cent of India.

The shift coincides with a period of acute transatlantic tensions as US President Donald Trump has targeted the EU with waves of tariffs, threatened Greenland´s sovereignty and launched a new war in the Middle East.

The European Commission declined to comment on the survey findings.

“The US is an important partner for us, and we work with them constructively on all the topics of common interest we have with them,” said commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta.

At the same time, 73 per cent of respondents described the European Union as a “place of stability in a troubled world”.

And the survey found overwhelming support for deeper EU cooperation on defence and security, with 81 per cent backing a common policy in the area -- the highest level in 20 years.