A survey published Nov. 5 by Britain's National Centre for Social Research found 74% of respondents viewed the United States as a serious threat to world peace, more than twice the 2024 share.
NatCen's table shows the U.S. share at 36% in 2024, before climbing to 71% in spring 2025. It dropped to 54% in autumn 2025, then rose to 74% in spring 2026. NatCen said its Opinion Panel produced that latest result.
Other countries also drew high threat ratings: 89% named Russia, 78% Israel and 75% Iran, while 62% named China. Each figure measures respondents who considered the country a serious threat to world peace.
NatCen said the current U.S. rating marked a departure from earlier views. In 2005, during the War on Terror, 47% of respondents viewed the U.S. as a serious threat, and the report called majority concern about the United States a new development.
On international ties, 42% said Britain's interests would be better served by closer relations with Western Europe, 9% chose closer relations with the U.S., and 38% favored keeping ties with both equally.
NatCen's defense-spending findings showed 56% supporting an increase and 17% favoring a cut. The 56% result was the first majority for higher spending since the survey began asking, the report said. It noted support may depend on whether people expect higher taxes, more government borrowing or reduced services at home.
The report framed the findings against wider geopolitical volatility, citing war in Europe, instability in the Middle East, strategic competition with China and uncertainty about U.S. leadership. It did not identify one factor as the cause of the survey responses.
Sophia Gaston, a British foreign policy researcher at King's College London who wrote the report, said in a NatCen press release that public concern around the Trump administration goes beyond diplomacy, touching on economic and security consequences.
