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Ally/Enemy

Most Recent Releases

June 2, 2017

More Say U.S. Should Do What Allies Want

President Trump just recently returned from his first foreign trip where he told our reticent allies in the Middle East and Europe that they need to do more for their own defense, but now an unprecedented number of voters believes the United States should listen to its allies instead.

April 9, 2015

Who Tops America's Enemies List?

Current events appear to be coloring the views Americans have of a couple longtime foes. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 800 Adults was conducted on March 29-30, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

April 2, 2015

Democrats See Mexico As Better Ally Than Israel

Americans continue to view Canada and Great Britain as our best friends, but Israel has tumbled down the list. Democrats by a 10-point margin now see Mexico as a better ally than the Jewish state. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook

The survey of 800 Adults was conducted on March 29-30, 2015 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

January 15, 2014

North Korea Now Seen As Top U.S. Enemy

North Korea now has sole possession of first place on the list of top U.S. enemies, with fewer Americans now seeing Iran as a foe.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of American Adults view North Korea as an enemy of the United States, putting it again at the top of the list of 18 countries periodically tracked by Rasmussen Reports. A new national telephone survey finds that just two percent (2%) regard the politically isolated Communist country as a U.S. ally, while 10% think it’s somewhere in between an ally and an enemy. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update   ? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

Two surveys of 1,000 American Adults each were conducted on January 4-5 and 10-11, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error for each survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

October 25, 2012

Britain, Canada Still Seen As Top U.S. Allies

Canada and Great Britain remain the nations most Americans consider this country’s top allies. Iran and North Korea continue to top the enemies list.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 93% of American Adults now consider the northern neighbor of the United States to be an ally. Only one percent (1%) think of Canada as an enemy, and three percent (3%) rate it somewhere in between. (To see survey question wording, click here).

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

These two surveys of 1,000 Adults each were conducted on October 16-17, 2012 and October 18-19, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error for each survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

October 21, 2011

North Korea, Iran Top List of U.S. Enemies

While Canada and Great Britain are still seen as America’s top allies, most Americans also continue to think of Iran and North Korea as the nation’s worst enemies.

October 19, 2011

Canada, Great Britain Still Top American Allies

Canada and Great Britain are still viewed by most as America’s top allies, and more Americans view Germany and Japan that way.

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September 13, 2011

41% Say America's Allies Put It In Greater Danger

A plurality of adults nationwide thinks America’s allies are bad for the country.

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July 20, 2011

Most Americans Willing to Defend South Korea

The United States has defense treaties with a number of nations around the globe, and Rasmussen Reports is asking Americans periodically how they feel about going to bat for these countries if they're attacked.  On the latest list of four nations,  most Americans are only willing to defend one country, South Korea.

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June 17, 2011

Just 11% Say U.S. Should Be World’s Policeman

"Being the world's policeman" is a phrase often used to suggest America is the nation chiefly responsible for peace and the establishment of democracy in the rest of the world. But just 11% of Likely U.S. Voters think that should be America’s role.

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June 15, 2011

Americans Are Most Willing To Help Costa Rica, Dominican Republic On Latest List of Defense Partners

The United States has defense treaties with more than 50 nations, but Rasmussen Reports is finding that most Americans aren't willing to go to bat militarily for the majority of them. Out of the latest list of nine countries we've asked about, just Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic earn the support of a plurality of adults.

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May 20, 2011

12% Say U.S. Should Help Defend Cuba If It's Attacked

Treaties signed over the years sometimes make strange bedfellows, and surprisingly one such regional treaty puts the United States in the position of helping Fidel Castro’s Cuba if it gets in a jam.

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April 27, 2011

Americans Are Reluctant to Defend Any of These Allies

The United States has military defense treaties with over 50 other nations. In addition to surveys about countries regularly in the news, Rasmussen Reports has been periodically asking Americans how they feel about defending some of these treaty countries if they are attacked. On the most recent list of nine countries, American Adults don’t feel strongly about defending any of them.

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March 25, 2011

Americans Show Little Support for Defending Some Treaty Partners

The United States has defense treaties with a number of nations around the globe, and Rasmussen Reports is asking Americans periodically how they feel about going to bat for these countries if they're attacked. On the latest list of nine countries, most Americans support the United States helping to defend just two of them militarily, Panama and the Bahamas.

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February 1, 2011

Americans Put U.S. Security Ahead of Free Elections When It Comes To Choosing Allies

President Lyndon Johnson once reportedly said of certain right-wing dictators who were U.S. allies at the time, “They may be bastards, but they’re our bastards.” Most Americans seem to share the late president’s realistic assessment of U.S. foreign policy.

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January 31, 2011

Most Americans Fear Fallout From Egypt Crisis But Want America To Stay Out of It

Most Americans expect the unrest in Egypt to spread to other Middle Eastern countries and think that will be bad for the United States. But a sizable majority also believe the United States should keep its nose out of Egypt’s current problems.

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September 28, 2010

Americans Divided Over Whether U.S.-China Interests Outweigh Differences

Speaking at a dinner of American and Chinese businessmen in New York last week, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the China-U.S. relationship “enjoys a bright future because common interests between our two countries far outweigh our differences.”

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September 9, 2010

55% Oppose Going to Iraq’s Defense Militarily

With the combat mission in Iraq officially over, just 29% of Americans believe the United States should militarily help defend the Middle Eastern nation if it is attacked, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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September 8, 2010

Most Americans Name Just Five Countries That U.S. Should Defend Militarily

Most Americans remain willing to help defend only five other countries in the world militarily, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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August 26, 2010

North Korea, Iran Still Head The List of U.S. Enemies

Most Americans see just two countries as enemies of the United States – North Korea and Iran. No one else is even close.