Icelanders More Likely To Perceive Americans As Adversaries Than Allies, Report Finds

Icelanders More Likely To Perceive Americans As Adversaries Than Allies, Report Finds

Published February 20, 2026

Photo by
Art Bicnick

A new survey conducted by Maskína finds that Icelanders are more likely to think of Americans as adversaries, as opposed to allies. Forty percent of respondents would describe Americans as antagonists, while 32 percent would describe them as allies, RÚV reports.

Twenty-eight percent describe themselves as being neutral. 

Women are more likely to describe Americans negatively than positively, 49 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Men, on the other hand, are more inclined to view Americans favourably. Forty-six percent of male respondents would describe Americans as allies, with 32 percent of men viewing them as adversaries. 

Young people, capital area residents and low-income people are more likely to perceive Americans in a negative light. 

Independence and Centre Party voters are more likely to view Americans as allies than adversaries. 

This is Maskína’s first survey covering the topic, meaning that comparative results are unavailable. 

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