Nearly two-thirds of Germans view the United States as a major threat to world peace in the coming years, according to an opinion poll that marks a sharp rise in concern compared with 2024.
A representative survey, conducted by the Allensbach Institute on behalf of the Centre for Strategy and Higher Leadership, found that 65% of respondents named the US when asked which countries posed the greatest danger to global peace.
When the same question was asked a year earlier, the figure stood at 46%. In 2024, only about a quarter of the population, or 24%, viewed the US as a threat to peace.
Russia remains the country most Germans see as a threat. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, between 75% and 82% of respondents in the annual survey have cited Russia as posing the greatest danger to global peace. The latest figure stands at 81%.
China was named by 46% of respondents as a country that endangers world peace.
The survey was conducted nationwide between January 6 and 19 among 1,077 people aged 16 and over.
Respondents were also asked how likely they believed it was that Germany itself could become involved in a war in the coming years. Only 3% said they believed such a scenario was very likely. However, 28% said it was rather likely, while 24% were undecided.
A further 40% of respondents said it was rather unlikely that Germany would become involved in a war, while 5% said it was very unlikely.