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This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by the German Bertelsmann Foundation (Bertelsmann Stiftung), reports Ukrinform with reference to Euronews.
A growing number of EU citizens are distancing themselves from the US, according to a survey of more than 26 people in 000 EU member states. For example, about 27% of respondents believe that Washington is no longer their most important ally, instead naming such countries as Great Britain (49%) or China (13%).
The most skeptical of the US is Belgium, where only 43% of respondents consider the US to be their main military partner, while Poland has the highest rate of pro-American sentiment (65%). Italy has the highest rate of cooperation with China (13%).
With the exception of Poland, the majority (63%) of Europeans believe that the EU should reduce cooperation with the US and pursue an independent course. This opinion is particularly strong regarding foreign policy, where 73% of respondents want the EU to play a more active role.
The survey found that Europeans who are skeptical of the US are mostly young people between the ages of 18 and 35, with a lower level of education, left-wing views and mostly rural residents.
At the same time, those who are more favorable to the US are usually over 55 years old, have higher education, center-right political views and live more often in cities.
NATO in the overwhelming majority remains the cornerstone of international security — 64% of respondents see it as protection against primary threats.
Compared to older age groups, young people are less likely to believe that NATO protects peace in Europe and more likely to believe that international relations thrive on competition rather than cooperation.
Research data shows that Europeans, depending on the country, have very different ideas about what is the primary threat for them. A quarter of them (25%) believe that the failure to protect borders is the biggest threat to peace in Europe, followed by terrorism (21%), cyber attacks (19%), an attack by a foreign aggressor (18%) and organized crime (17%).
France and Poland are the countries most afraid of uncontrolled borders, while Poland is most worried about external aggression.
