Polls show 77 pct Dutch people view U.S. as source of insecurity

THE HAGUE, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Seventy-seven percent of Dutch citizens view the United States as a source of global insecurity, according to a new opinion poll released Monday by the Netherlands Atlantic Commission.

The report, titled Transatlantic Security Opinion Poll 2026, found that only 23 percent of respondents consider the United States a stabilizing force in the world, down from 34 percent in 2025.

When asked in an open-ended question to identify the greatest threat to Dutch and European security, 14 percent of respondents spontaneously cited "Trump's America" as the primary threat, surpassing the 11 percent who named Russia.

More broadly, 51 percent of those surveyed described the current relationship between the United States and Europe as "poor" or "very poor." Economic ties are seen as particularly strained: 78 percent said President Donald Trump's first year back in office has had a primarily negative impact on transatlantic trade relations. These views were recorded before recent U.S. announcements of additional tariffs on the Netherlands and other European countries linked to Greenland.

Concerns extend beyond trade. Reflecting on Trump's first year in office, 73 percent of respondents said his policies had negatively affected global peace and stability, while 63 percent cited adverse impacts on international climate cooperation.

In addition, 81 percent of respondents said Europe can no longer count on unconditional U.S. military support under the current Trump administration, raising questions about long-standing assumptions within NATO.

Kris Derks, program coordinator at the Netherlands Atlantic Commission, confirmed to Xinhua that the poll was conducted between Jan. 1 and Jan. 8, 2026. A total of 1,045 responses were collected from 1,650 distributed questionnaires.

Founded in 1952, the Netherlands Atlantic Commission serves as a platform for public debate on transatlantic security issues. The annual survey, conducted by research agency Verian on behalf of the Netherlands Atlantic Association, is widely used by policymakers and analysts to assess public opinion on NATO, defense spending, and broader transatlantic relations. Enditem