BERLIN, January 15. /TASS/. Almost half (46%) of EU residents do not see the bloc as a great power comparable to the United States or China, the results of a survey ordered by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) showed.

In November 2024, Europeans’ opinion was split down the middle, with 42.6% of respondents calling the EU a power and 42.2% disagreeing with this designation. November 2025 saw a different situation where 46.3% of Europeans refused to view the EU as a great power and 39.2% took the opposite stance.

"Many European citizens are conscious they are now living in a post-Western world, and see it as a risk rather than an opportunity. The data confirm that Europeans are among the chief pessimists in the world today," ECFR said in a press release. Almost 50% of Europeans said they were feeling pessimistic about the future of their countries with a mere 18% feeling optimistic.

Over the last year, fewer Europeans viewed the United States as an ally, with the share of respondents who gave this answer falling from 21% to 16%. Also, 8% of respondents called the United States an adversary they are in conflict with. The survey was conducted in November in Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain. The margin of error was not disclosed.