This report presents the third set of results and key findings of a comprehensive public opinion survey of 4,368 adults carried out by YouGov on behalf of Best for Britain between 5th - 10th September 2025. This report builds on previous Best for Britain research which focused on public attitudes towards Brexit, ahead of the Budget of November 2025, and public views on the biggest issues facing the UK, and local communities.
The report analyses respondents’ views on the UK’s most important trading partners and most important international partners generally, comparing the results from September 2025 with responses from November 2024, when YouGov asked the same set of questions to 4,338 adults. It provides an insight into how British public opinion has shifted in light of recent changes in international affairs, notably the return of Donald Trump as President of the United States, and the ‘reset’ in relations between the UK and European Union.
The survey results reveal that the British public’s trust in the US has plummeted. Public trust in the US, as measured by the difference between the proportion of respondents saying they trust the country and those saying they distrust it, fell by 25 percentage points between November 2024 and September 2025.
At the same time, the EU has become the clear leader as the UK’s most reliable international partner, in the eyes of British voters. When the same question on the UK’s most reliable partner was asked just ten months previously, the US finished top, marginally ahead of the EU. The survey results suggest that a significant portion of the British public has not just turned away from the US, but towards the EU.
There appears to have been little to no change in voters’ views on the UK’s most important trading partner. In both the November 2024 and September 2025 surveys, around half of respondents identified the EU as the country’s most important trading partner.
The drop in support for the US was consistent across almost all demographic groups and almost all party political preferences. 2024 Conservative Voters were the voter group most likely to record declines in support for the US, followed by 2024 Liberal Democrat Voters.
2024 Reform UK Voters stand alone in having not changed their view on the US between November 2024 and September 2025, continuing to see the US as the UK’s most reliable partner and a country we can trust. The declines in Reform Voters’ ‘scores’ for the US on measures of trust and reliability were not statistically significant. On the issue of international partners, the survey results suggest that current Conservative Voters are closer to the left-of-centre bloc of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Voters than they are to Reform UK.
Headline findings
Public opinion in September 2025
In September 2025, the EU and Japan were clearly more trusted than the other five countries included in the sample. The EU and Japan were the only countries or groups of countries to receive a positive ‘net trust’ score, that is to say, the number of respondents saying they trusted them was greater than the number saying they distrusted them.
Notably, in September 2025 an overall majority (56%) of Brits said they distrusted the US, a rise of 16 percentage points compared to the November 2024 survey results. The 56% of respondents who did not trust the US is higher than the proportion saying the same for India (42%) and Brazil (21%), and is close to the proportion who said they distrusted Saudi Arabia (61%).
The effect of Trump's presidency on public opinion.
In September 2025, an overall majority of survey respondents considered the EU to be the UK’s most important trading partner. Half of respondents (51%) considered the EU to be the UK’s top trade partner. Just one in five (21%) said it was the US, closely followed by ‘Don’t Know’ (17%).
Liberal Democrat Voters’ net trust for the US dropped almost as markedly, from -25 to -62 between the two surveys. Trust for the US declined by 28 percentage points among 2024 Labour Voters, and by 30 percentage points among Conservative to Labour Switchers.
The 3 percentage point drop in the ‘net trust’ score for the US among 2024 Reform UK Voters was within the margin of error, meaning, in effect, there has been no change in Reform UK Voters’ views on this issue. The +25 net trust score for the US among 2024 Reform UK Voters in September 2025 is unique not only in the party political sphere, but across all other demographic indicators polled. Younger and older voters, men and women, social grade, and across the nations and regions of Britain: all groups in September 2025 gave a negative ‘net trust’ score for the US. All groups, that is, except one: those who voted for Reform UK at the last general election.
The Data
Polling and research commissioned by Best for Britain. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.
The survey presented in this report included a total sample size of 4,368 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5th - 10th September 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
Data tables published by YouGov.