The Pew Research Center surveyed 3,507 U.S. adults from March 23 to 29, 2026, as part of its American Trends Panel to assess public knowledge and attitudes about NATO. The survey included five factual questions about the alliance and found that U.S. adults answered an average of 2.5 questions correctly, with a median score of 3.
Sixty-three percent of respondents correctly identified Denmark as the country of which Greenland is a territory. Fifty-seven percent correctly named Europe and North America as the regions where NATO member states are concentrated, a slight increase from 56% in a 2024 survey. Fifty-five percent accurately identified promoting the security of its members as a central focus of NATO, up from 51% in 2024. Forty-five percent correctly stated that Ukraine is not a NATO member, an improvement from 41% in 2024. Thirty-four percent correctly noted that U.S. NATO allies in Europe have increased their defense spending in recent years.
Men, older adults, and those with at least a bachelor’s degree scored higher on the knowledge questions than their counterparts. Americans ages 50 and older demonstrated greater familiarity with NATO than younger adults. Those with higher levels of education also outperformed those with less formal education.
On average, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents answered 2.7 questions correctly, while Republicans and Republican-leaning independents answered 2.6 correctly. The difference between the two groups was minimal.
Favorability toward NATO correlated with knowledge of the alliance. Sixty-three percent of adults who answered four or five knowledge questions correctly reported a favorable view of NATO. In contrast, 47% of those who answered none or one question correctly held a favorable opinion.
The 2026 survey results build on comparable measurements taken in 2024, allowing for trend analysis on specific knowledge items. The share of respondents correctly identifying NATO’s regional concentration, Ukraine’s non-member status, and the alliance’s central focus all showed modest gains compared to two years prior.