A global survey conducted by the Pew Research Center from February to May 2026 indicates that a median of 65% of adults in 13 NATO member states hold a favorable opinion of NATO, with 30% expressing an unfavorable view. The survey of 37 countries found regional and partisan differences in public opinion regarding NATO and Russia.

A median of 59% of adults across all surveyed countries expressed an unfavorable opinion of Russia, while 34% held a favorable view. In Europe, at least 60% of adults in each country surveyed reported an unfavorable view of Russia. Conversely, majorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Bangladesh viewed Russia favorably.

In specific NATO member countries, 78% of adults in Poland viewed NATO positively. Sweden, Germany, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and Canada each reported 70% or more of their adults viewing NATO positively. Favorable opinions of NATO also constituted majorities in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Italy. Opinion on NATO was marginally more favorable than not in France, and about evenly divided in Spain. However, 59% of adults in both Greece and Turkey held an unfavorable view of NATO.

Favorable opinions of NATO declined by 7 percentage points in France, 6 percentage points in Italy, and 3 percentage points in the U.S. compared to the previous year's survey. In contrast, the share of people in Greece with a favorable view of NATO increased by 8 percentage points. In Hungary, 87% of adults aged 18 to 34 had a positive opinion of NATO, compared with 64% of those aged 50 and older.

Within the U.S., there were partisan divisions on both NATO and Russia. 75% of Democrats had a favorable view of NATO, while 42% of Republicans shared that view. Regarding Russia, 14% of Americans had a favorable view, with 12% of Democrats and 16% of Republicans holding this opinion. Confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin was expressed by 10% of Americans, with 7% of U.S. Democrats and 14% of Republicans expressing confidence in him. Conversely, 50% of Americans expressed confidence in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to manage world affairs, with 69% of U.S. Democrats and 34% of Republicans sharing this confidence. Generally, young adults aged 18 to 34 tended to view Russia and Vladimir Putin more favorably than those aged 50 and older.

Favorable views of Russia increased by 6 percentage points in both Canada and the U.K. since the previous year's survey, reaching 20% in 2026. Since 2024, favorable views of Russia increased by 12 percentage points in Sri Lanka and India. The survey encompassed 45,658 adults across 37 countries. Political parties were identified as populist using ratings from the 2024 Chapel Hill Expert Survey, the 2023 Populism and Political Parties Expert Survey, and the 2023 PopuList.