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A majority of Britons view the US as a “severe menace” to safety after the election of President Donald Trump, who has referred to himself as a “peacemaker” and aspires to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Seventy-two per cent of individuals stated America posed a “very” or “fairly severe” danger to world peace in April. That is double the 36 per cent of individuals final autumn, earlier than Trump was elected, in accordance with the newest British Social Attitudes survey revealed on Wednesday.
Solely Russia — at 90 per cent — was perceived as a larger menace, placing the US forward of Israel and Iran, which have been each seen as a safety concern by 67 per cent of the British public.
Trump campaigned on a promise to shortly finish the Israel-Hamas battle and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however has fanned the flames of each conflicts since taking workplace for a second time.
The survey displays public perceptions earlier than the Israel-Iran battle broke out and the US launched strikes on Iranian nuclear websites, prompting a tentative ceasefire.
Gianfranco Addario, analysis director on the Nationwide Centre for Social Analysis, which revealed the information, stated Trump’s election had pushed public views of America as a menace to ranges “by no means seen earlier than”.
The query has been requested twice earlier than 2024, with issues peaking at 47 per cent in 2005 following the US invasion of Iraq.
Trump campaigned on a promise to maintain America out of any new wars and stated in his second inaugural deal with that his “proudest legacy will likely be that of a peacemaker”. He additionally has aspirations of successful the Nobel Peace Prize.
The most recent BSA survey, an annual examine that has been working since 1983, was carried out between September and October 2024.
A document 9 per cent of respondents — surveyed earlier than the UK authorities’s choice to enhance the navy funds — stated defence must be the highest precedence for further state spending, in contrast with simply 2 per cent when the query was final requested in 2021.
Addario stated the shift in attitudes was prone to persist long-term, including that the worldwide geopolitical state of affairs had deteriorated because the finish of final 12 months.
Public assist for reducing the welfare invoice and lowering authorities spending and taxation rose, though these views are nonetheless supported by solely a minority of individuals — 11 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.
The proportion of people that stated spending on incapacity advantages ought to improve dipped beneath 50 per cent for the primary time in 2024, however was nonetheless 4 instances greater than share who wished to chop it.
Sir Keir Starmer’s authorities has pushed forward with plans to overtake incapacity assist prompting a backlash amongst Labour MPs, who search to dam the contentious welfare invoice.
Sir John Curtice, senior analysis fellow at NatCen, stated the information urged that pursuing development over tax rises would “not essentially be the better path” for Labour because it tries to repair public companies in a decent fiscal surroundings.
“The political problem with these insurance policies is there are probably identifiable winners and losers, and it’s usually the losers who shout the loudest,” he added.