A large majority of Americans oppose the United States using military force to take control of Greenland, and the public is also broadly opposed to buying the Arctic island, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll conducted as President Donald Trump keeps the idea in the national spotlight.
The survey of U.S. adults, conducted Jan. 16-19, found Americans were far more likely to reject both a military takeover and a purchase than to support either option. Most respondents also said they understand Greenland's political status and believe Greenlanders would rather remain with Denmark than join the United States.
Trump has argued the United States needs greater influence in the Arctic as competition intensifies with Russia and China. Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally, and it hosts the U.S. military's Pituffik Space Base, a key site for missile warning and space surveillance.
The survey found the following:
-9% support the U.S. using military force to take control of Greenland; 72% oppose.
-Vast majorities of Democrats, 92%, and independents, 73%, oppose using military force.
-Republicans are also more likely to oppose than support a takeover by force: 52% oppose, 22% support.
-In a poll conducted a week earlier, 8% of Americans supported a military takeover and 68% opposed it.
-29% of Americans support the U.S. purchasing Greenland; 51% are opposed.
-Republicans are much more likely to support a purchase than a military takeover (58% vs. 22%).
-Democrats overwhelmingly oppose both purchasing Greenland and using military force (84% oppose a purchase; 92% oppose force).
When asked what Greenlanders want:
-65% say most people in Greenland want to remain part of Denmark.
-11% say Greenlanders would prefer to join the U.S.
When asked how likely a U.S. takeover actually is:
-8% say it is very likely the U.S. will take control of Greenland.
-25% say it is somewhat likely; 27% say not very likely; 15% say not likely at all.
When asked about Greenland, just over half of respondents were able to identify it on a map:
-59% correctly identified Greenland on a map; accuracy was slightly higher with the Gall-Peters projection than the Mercator projection (62% vs. 56%).
-72% correctly say Greenland belongs to Denmark; 21% are unsure.
-50% say the U.S. has a military base in Greenland; 37% are unsure.
-40% correctly said Greenland's population is under 100,000; the population is roughly 56,000 to 57,000.
During his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. would not use force to acquire Greenland and that his administration is currently seeking to negotiate for the territory.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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