Britons Now See US as Major Threat to Peace Amid Trump’s Return

By Staff, Agencies

The share of Britons who consider the United States a major threat to global security has doubled since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January, reaching what researchers call an “all-time high,” according to the latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey.

Even before Trump authorized airstrikes on Iran over the weekend, 72% of UK respondents said they believed the US poses a danger to world peace within the next decade, up sharply from 36% in autumn 2024.

The spike reflects rising alarm over Trump’s foreign policy decisions and rhetoric in his first 100 days back in office.

The United States now ranks among the top perceived threats to global security, trailing only Russia (90%) and closely followed by "Israel" (73%), China (69%), and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (77%).

Trump’s recent Oval Office confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and ambiguous remarks regarding the US commitment to NATO have further stoked fears in the UK and beyond, contributing to an erosion of trust in Washington’s global leadership.

The BSA survey, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), found stark political divides in perceptions of the US threat.

Among Labour Party supporters, 81% view the US as a major risk to global peace, compared to 96% of Green Party supporters.

In contrast, 68% of Conservatives and just 41% of Reform UK voters share that view.

“These figures reflect a growing consensus among progressive voters, and increasing discomfort even among the centre-right,” said Gianfranco Addario, research director at NatCen.

The data also reveal a significant shift in public opinion on defense spending. For the first time in the four-decade history of the BSA survey, 9% of respondents named defense as the government’s top spending priority.

This marks a sharp increase in support for military investment, particularly among Conservative and Reform UK voters.

Supporters of Labour and the Green Party, while more critical of the US role in international wars, were less likely to back increased defense spending.