A partisan divide is widening among Americans on the country’s support for NATO, with Democrats being more likely to have a positive opinion of the military alliance than Republicans, according to a Thursday survey.
The Pew Research Center poll found 66 percent of respondents think the U.S. benefits from NATO, though the figure has dropped by 5 points since 2021. Another 32 percent said the country does not benefit much or at all from the strategic partnership.
Among party lines, Democrats’ opinion about NATO being beneficial to the U.S. has largely stayed the same, but this view has dropped off by 6 points among GOP respondents.
Half of Republicans or GOP-leaning independents in the poll think the nation does not benefit much or at all from the military alliance that counts 32 countries as members, while 49 percent said the U.S. benefits a great or good amount.
Among Democrats, 83 percent said the country reaps the rewards of being in NATO, while 16 percent said the country does not benefit much or at all from the membership.
The poll also found that GOP and GOP-leaning independents have become less likely to say Russia is the U.S.’s enemy over the past year, and they are more likely to describe it as a competitor.
Around half of Americans describe Russia as the enemy. In 2024, 61 percent of respondents said the same thing.
About 4 in 10 Republicans called Russia an enemy of the U.S., an 18-point drop from 2024. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, the figure has dropped by 5 points during the same time.
The poll was conducted March 24-30 among 3,605 U.S. adults. The margin of error was 1.9 percentage points.
