AS A NEW PRIME MINISTER IS SELECTED, POLL FINDS 80% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE US-UK LEADERSHIP IN NATO IS IMPORTANT TO GLOBAL SECURITY

Americans view NATO leadership as the most important issue for the next Prime Minister to address with the US President.

BOSTON, Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Emerson College poll commissioned by the Association of Marshall Scholars finds that eighty percent of US residents view American and British leadership in NATO as "very" or "somewhat important" to global security. Respondents identified NATO leadership (25%), climate change (21%), and international trade (20%) as the top joint priority areas for the next British Prime Minister, ahead of the Conservative Party selection on Monday, September 5th. Eighty-seven percent of Democrats and eighty-six percent of Republicans consider the US and British leadership "very" or "somewhat important" on global security.

The plurality (37%) of respondents say shared democratic norms and values have the most significant influence on a strong alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, with 32% naming political leadership and governments.

"Americans understand how critically important US-UK leadership is to global security," said Dr. Nell Breyer, Executive Director of the Association of Marshall Scholars. "The strong response to the war in Ukraine reflects our shared foundational values and mutual commitment to democratic norms. The American public hopes the next British Prime Minister will continue prioritizing NATO leadership with the current US administration."

82% of Americans view a free trade agreement between the US and the UK as "very" or "somewhat important." "It's rare that there is overwhelming bipartisan support on a global policy issue such as this agreement: 88% of Democrats and 87% of Republicans view the free trade agreement as very or somewhat important," said Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling.

The importance of the US "Special Relationship" with the UK remains reinforced through public opinion, with forty-one percent of respondents across all age groups and geographic regions identifying it as America's most valuable ally and strategic partner. Respondent ranked Canada as the next strongest ally at 23%. Fifty-eight percent of respondents named the UK as the US' most attractive business partner.

Full Data and Table Tabulations available at marshallscholars.org/news-and-updates/2022poll

All respondents in this study were part of a fully representative sample of n=1,000. Data were weighted by US population parameters. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 3% in 19 of 20 cases. The survey was administered by contacting landline telephones via IVR, cell phones via text message, and online panel. Data was collected between August 12-17, 2022.

Emerson College Polling has been ranked as one of the most accurate collegiate pollsters by Nate Silvers' FiveThirtyEight and Bloomberg News. Emerson College Polling is a Charter Member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Transparency Initiative.