Most Americans in new survey say US should defend NATO allies

A new survey shows that most Americans have a favorable view of NATO and believe the United States should continue to defend its allies.

YouGov pollA survey released Friday found that 60% of respondents believe the United States should defend its NATO allies if they are attacked. Only 13% said the country should not keep its promises, and 26% of respondents said they were unsure.

Article 5 of NATO states that an attack against a NATO member state should be treated as an attack against all member states. The survey revealed that Respondents were most supportive of the UK (63 per cent), followed by France (58 per cent), Germany (55 per cent), Poland (54 per cent), Finland (54 per cent) and Greece (52 per cent).

Sweden, which has not yet been accepted into the alliance, also received 58% support, according to the survey.

Democratic respondents were more likely than other respondents to say the United States should maintain its obligation to assist other NATO countries in times of conflict. About 72% of Democrats agreed, as did 53% of independent respondents and 56% of Republicans.

Among Republicans, self-proclaimed “MAGA” Republicans, or Republicans close to former President Trump, whose campaign motto was “Make America Great Again,” support maintaining the U.S. relationship with its NATO allies. There was little chance of doing so. According to the survey, 47% of MAGA Republicans said the pledge should be kept, and 62% of self-described “non-MAGA” Republicans said the same.

The poll found that older Americans and college graduates were more likely to say the United States should protect its NATO allies.

The findings were released shortly after President Trump made negative comments about the alliance. The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination has sparked international concern by saying he would encourage attacks on NATO members who fail to meet their defense spending commitments.

The survey found that 54% of Americans strongly or somewhat disagree with President Trump’s views on NATO, while 23% approve. Republicans are sharply divided on their support, and a majority of Democrats disapprove of President Trump’s statements about the alliance.

The survey was conducted Sunday through Tuesday among 1,562 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.