Here are some key points regarding Americans' opinions on NATO:
Americans continue to have generally favorable views of NATO, with a majority expressing positive opinions of the alliance. But ratings have declined slightly over the past year, largely due to a drop in favorability among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. About two-thirds of U.S. adults think there are benefits to joining NATO, but fewer people say so now than in 2022. This shift is occurring primarily among Republicans. The share of Americans who believe the alliance's influence is increasing has declined by 11 points over the past two years, and the decline was similar among Democrats and Republicans. People who have more knowledge about NATO tend to view it favorably.
NATO's view
A majority of Americans (58%) have a favorable opinion of NATO, but since this question was last asked in 2023, positive opinions of the alliance have decreased by 4 points, a statistically significant This was a significant decrease.
The established partisan divide over views on NATO widened further in 2024. Republicans have become less friendly toward the alliance over the past year. 43% have a positive view of NATO, down from 49% in 2023. , Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents continue to have positive attitudes about NATO in 2024, with three-quarters of this group viewing the alliance favorably (as of 2023). ).
People with at least a four-year college degree are more likely to express a positive opinion about NATO than people with less education, but less educated people express opinions. Chances are slightly lower overall.
Americans who think the security and defense relationship is important to a strong U.S.-European relationship have a more favorable view of NATO compared to those who don't think the security relationship is important. almost twice as likely (60% vs. 33%).
Views on U.S. aid to Ukraine are also related to opinions on NATO. About 8 in 10 adults (82%) think the US is not providing enough support to Ukraine, while 8 in 10 adults (82%) have a favorable opinion of NATO. The favorability rating of those who think that it is true is 34%.
US NATO Member States
About two-thirds (66%) of Americans think NATO membership would benefit the United States, compared to 31% who think NATO membership would benefit the United States. The proportion feeling benefited was down slightly from 69% in 2022.
Of the three multilateral organizations questioned in the survey (NATO, the United Nations, and the World Health Organization), U.S. citizens believe that NATO membership would be most beneficial. In contrast, 60% said that membership in the United Nations would benefit their country, and 58% said the same about membership in the WHO.
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The partisan divide seen in overall views of NATO is similarly present here, with 81% of Democrats saying the United States benefits from NATO membership, as well as 51% of Republicans. It states that. Liberal Democrats are more likely than any other ideological group to see a benefit to NATO membership.
Furthermore, those who believe that shared security and defense relationships are important to a strong U.S.-European relationship are more likely to believe that the United States benefits from NATO membership than those who think these relationships are unimportant. Much more likely to think.
NATO's global influence
The share of Americans who believe NATO's influence in the world is increasing has decreased by 11 points since this question was last asked in May 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Only 23% of Americans believe NATO's influence is increasing. Meanwhile, 45% said their influence will remain about the same, up from 39% in 2022. Additionally, 28% believe the alliance is weakening, up slightly from 25% who said the same thing two years ago.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to consistently say that NATO's influence in the world is growing.
Americans' knowledge of NATO
Americans have varying levels of knowledge about the location of NATO members, NATO's central focus, and the non-member status of Ukraine. A majority (56%) correctly identify Europe and North America as her two regions to which the Alliance is affiliated. And around half (51%) agree that promoting the security of member states is a core tenet of the alliance. Only a few (41%) can correctly identify Ukraine as a country that is not a member of her NATO.
Overall, 30% of Americans answered all three knowledge questions about NATO correctly. Approximately one-fifth got two correct answers (19%) or one correct answer (20%), respectively. Additionally, 31% of U.S. adults could not answer any question correctly (including the percentage who selected “I don't know” at least once alongside an incorrect answer).
Americans age 65 and older are 20 percentage points more likely to answer all three knowledge questions about NATO correctly than people ages 18 to 29 (38% vs. 18%). The center's previous research has found that older people tend to be more knowledgeable about international affairs than younger people.
Americans with more education were more likely to answer all three questions correctly than those with less education, compared to half of those with graduate education who answered three correctly. , compared to 17% of Americans with a high school education or less.
Notably, Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to answer all three questions correctly.
People who knew more about NATO tended to view the alliance differently than people who knew less about NATO. For example, 73% of those who answered all three quiz questions correctly believe that the United States benefits from its NATO membership, compared to 57% of those who did not answer the question correctly.
Additionally, those who answered three correctly were more likely to have a favorable view of NATO (68%) compared to those who answered three incorrectly (46%). Respondents with higher levels of knowledge about NATO are more likely to report that NATO's influence is increasing.
