PARIS — Europeans are downbeat about the state of the world, their countries, their circumstances, and the dangers posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the “best years are behind us” (63 percent), while 77 percent believe life in their country “will be harder for the next generation, according to a poll by the strategic communications firm FGS Global shared exclusively with POLITICO, which surveyed more than 11,000 people across 23 European Union countries in November.
The dour sentiment is especially widespread in Western and Central Europe. A majority of Europeans (76 percent) said democracy in their country is in decline.
The poll reveals widespread concern about the state of European democracies and the capacity of governments to meet their challenges, which include war on the continent’s eastern flank, economic and geopolitical uncertainty and growing friction with Washington.
Even before the U.S. president declared he wanted to take over Greenland, a large majority of Europeans viewed him as a negative force for peace, their country and the global economy.
“It is clear that there is a very, very high degree of pessimism,” said Craig Oliver, co-global head of strategy at FGS Global, who previously served as a communications advisor to former British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Though governments should be alert to that mood, they can also try to harness it, he said: “It’s in those moments, historically, when people are pessimistic that change and improvement can come.”
Europeans to their governments: You can do better
In nearly every country polled, majorities believe their country is on the wrong track. The exceptions are Poland, Lithuania and Denmark — even though they are among those most exposed to Russia or, for Denmark, U.S. pressure over Greenland.
Oliver attributed that divergence to how countries are governed. “There are various countries where people feel that there is leadership and change and things are being addressed,” he said. “People feel very strongly that they do want to be led; they want clarity from governments.”
The survey is bad news for most governments, revealing weak public trust in political systems and skepticism about their capacity to function effectively.
Asked to pick between two opposing statements, at least half of respondents said their country’s political system “is failing the people and needs fundamental reform,” rather than “works fairly well and doesn’t need significant reform.”
Nordic countries, generally less gloomy, had the most positive numbers. Negative opinions were higher in Romania (91 percent), Greece (88 percent) and Bulgaria (86 percent).
In all countries, more than 70 percent of respondents felt they were “entitled to expect more from government,” as opposed to expecting too much.
Wanted: Strong defense
In light of the many challenges facing the continent, Europeans want their leaders to step up — and gear up.
Asked whether they agreed their countries “should be more assertive of [their] national interests even if this creates friction with other countries,” a large majority approved (71 percent).
Respondents also backed higher investment in European security, with 57 percent supporting more “spending on defense and security.”
Trump effect
Though the survey was conducted before the latest bout of hostility from Trump, the U.S. president was already seen as a negative force.
Other polls have shown that Trump is unpopular on the continent, even among supporters of the right-wing populist parties he sees as allies.
About two-thirds of respondents to the FGS Global survey said they were pessimistic about Trump’s impact in the year ahead on the global economy (69 percent), peace and security (64 percent) and their own country (64 percent).
Asked if Trump deserves the Nobel Prize, 77 percent said he does not.
FGS interviewed 11,714 adults from 23 European Union countries between Nov. 10 to Nov. 23, 2025. A minimum of 500 interviews were conducted in each of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Interviews were conducted online and the data weighted to be nationally representative of each country by gender, age, income, region and socio-economic group. Data from a nationally representative poll of 500 adults is accurate to a margin of error of +/- 4.4% at 95% confidence.
Europeans are gloomy about pretty much everything. Who can blame them?
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