Estonians Most Trust US Military Aid Among Europeans, Survey Finds
A survey by Public First shows that Estonians have the highest confidence in US military assistance among 24 European countries, with 22% supporting non-European aid, while 61% doubt their country's ability to defend itself alone.
According to a survey conducted in June, Estonia shows the strongest support among European nations for the idea that in the event of war, the country should rely on assistance from outside Europe. The survey, carried out by British research firm Public First, found that 22% of Estonians consider it acceptable to receive support from a non-European power in case of a military attack – in practice, this means military aid from the United States, as reported by Politico.
The average across the 24 European countries surveyed was 14 percent. Estonia also recorded one of the lowest levels of support for self-reliance in a conflict. While the European average for those believing a country should defend itself alone was 33%, in Estonia it was 28% – matching Sweden. Only Denmark (17%), Slovenia (23%), Belgium (25%) and the Netherlands (26%) had lower percentages.
Meanwhile, 41% of Estonians said military assistance should come from within Europe but not from outside the continent, close to the European average of 40%. Politico also highlighted that the highest shares of people doubting their country’s ability to defend itself without outside help were found in countries bordering Russia, including the Baltic states, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well as other smaller European nations. The survey revealed that 61% of Estonians believed their country was not prepared to defend itself alone, while across Europe an average of 58% thought their country was not capable of self-defense, and only 27% believed it was.
