Best for Britain has partnered with YouGov to establish how the UK public views the UK’s trade relations and position on the global stage.

We asked a representative sample of 4338 GB adults seven questions, and requested an additional breakout for people who voted Conservative in 2019 and Labour in 2024 (‘con-lab switchers’).

Respondents were asked to provide answers for a limited set of countries, namely: the EU, the USA, China, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

Values

A significant majority of Brits say the UK and the EU share similar values. Two in three respondents (66%) say the EU’s values are similar to the UK’s, with a majority (52%) saying the EU’s values are ‘fairly similar’ and 14% saying the EU’s values are ‘very similar’ to the UK’s. Only 22% say the EU has different values to the UK.

Only half (50%) of respondents said the USA had ‘fairly similar’ (42%) or ‘very similar’ (8%) values to the UK. Just under two in five people (39%) in the UK say the USA has different values to the UK.

Con-lab switchers are more likely to say the EU has similar values to the UK than the average Brit. A staggering 72% of people who voted Conservative in 2019 and Labour in 2024 say the EU’s values are similar to the UK’s. Only 20% say the EU has different values from the UK.

Trust

Brits trust the EU, and Japan, significantly more than they trust the USA. About half (49%) of respondents said they ‘somewhat trust’ (33%) or ‘strongly trust’ (16%) the EU, compared to only 23% who say they distrust the EU. Fewer than one in three (30%) Brits say they trust the USA, while two in five (40%) say they distrust the USA. When it comes to Japan, 46% of Brits say they trust the country, with only 15% saying they distrust it.

Half of con-lab switchers (51%) trust the EU, with only 12% of them saying they distrust the EU. Con-lab switches are split on whether they trust the USA: 36% say they distrust the USA, while 34% say they trust it.

Reliability

However, more Brits believe it is the USA that values its relationship with the UK the most, ahead of the EU. Just under a third of respondents (31%) said the USA valued its relationship with the UK the most, compared to one in four (26%) who chose the EU.

However Con-Lab switchers are split, with 32% saying they believe it is the EU who values their relationship with the UK the most, and 28% saying it is the USA.

Brits are split on who the UK’s most reliable international partner is. A third of respondents (33%) believe the USA is the UK’s most reliable partner, while just under a third (32%) believe it is the EU.

37% of Con-Lab switchers say that the UK’s most reliable partner is the EU.

Trade

Brits are twice as likely to see the EU as the UK’s most important trading partner, compared to those who say it is the USA. Just under half (48%) of respondents said they view the EU as the UK’s most important trading partner, compared to just over one in four (22%) who say it is the USA. Just 4% of Brits think that China is the UK’s most important trading partner.

A majority of Con-Lab switchers (56%) say the EU is the UK’s most important trading partner, compared to only 21% of them who say it is the USA.

A majority of people think the UK should be trading more with the EU. Over half (54%) of Brits say the UK should be trading more with the EU than we currently are, with 26% saying we should be trading ‘much more’ and 28% saying we should be trading ‘somewhat more’ with the EU. Only 7% say the UK should be trading less with the EU, and 20% say the current levels of trade are about right.

Only one in three (34%) think the UK should be trading more with the USA than we currently do. 15% of Brits say we should be trading less with the USA - double those who say we should be trading less with the EU (7%).

58% of Con-Lab switchers say that the UK should be trading more with the EU.

It is clear that Brits think the UK should prioritise improving its trading relationship with the EU, well ahead of any other country. 44% of Brits think that improving trade with the EU should be the UK’s priority, more than double the number who say it should be the USA (19%).

Just under half of Con-Lab switchers (48%) think that improving trade with the EU should be the UK’s priority, compared to only 17% who say the UK should prioritise improving trade with the USA.

Data tables

Polling conducted by YouGov on behalf of Best for Britain. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4,338 adults, of which 160 were Con19-Lab24 switchers. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25th - 27th November 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Data tables are available to download.

Questions:

• Q1. In your view, how similar or different do you think the following countries, or bloc of countries’, values are to those in the UK?
• Q2. In general, how much do you trust, or distrust, each of the following?
• Q3. In your view, which ONE of the following countries, or bloc of countries, value their relationship with the UK the most?
• Q4. In your view, which ONE of the following countries, or bloc of countries, is the UK’s most reliable international partner?
• Q5. In your view, should the UK be trading more or less with the following nations, or is the current level of trade about right?
• Q6. In your view, which ONE of the following countries, or bloc of countries, should the UK prioritise improving trading relationships with?
• Q7. In your view, which ONE of the following countries, or bloc of countries, do you see as the UK's most important trading partner?

In questions 1, 2 and 5, respondents were asked to indicate the strength of their feeling for each country listed. In questions 3, 4, 6 and 7 respondents were asked to answer by choosing just one country.

Respondents were asked to provide answers for a limited set of countries, namely: the EU, the USA, China, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia and Japan.