American views of NATO are becoming increasingly partisan after more than two years of war in Eastern Europe, according to findings released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

The nonpartisan think tank’s latest survey, which reached 3,600 United States adults from April 1 to April 7, revealed that 58% of respondents have a positive opinion of the military alliance – a drop of 4 percentage points since 2023. A smaller share of Americans than in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, also believe NATO’s influence is getting stronger, dropping from 34% to 23%.

The political divide on the alliance has widened: Only 43% of Republicans and GOP-leaning adults view NATO favorably, which is down from 49% in 2023 and 55% in 2022 following the Russian invasion. Meanwhile, three-quarters of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents hold favorable views of the organization, with little change from the year prior.

The findings come as former President Donald Trump, again a candidate for the White House in 2024, has continued to make controversial comments about NATO and its members’ commitment to spend a minimum of 2% of their gross domestic product on........

© U.S.News