Brussels – Europeans are united in their desire to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu step down from the political stage. They also fear the possibility of an armed conflict between EU countries and Russia. This is what emerges from the latest survey by Polling Europe Euroscope – a Brussels-based market research and polling organisation, a joint venture between SWG and OpinionWay – previewed exclusively by Eunews.
When asked what outcome they hoped to see for the Prime Minister at the upcoming general election in Israel on 27 October, 45 per cent of those surveyed chose the option “that he loses the election and leaves the political scene.” Thirty per cent said they had no particular preference, 14 per cent hoped he would be defeated but remain a leading political figure, and only 11 per cent hoped he would be re-elected as head of government. This picture, albeit with some variations in the proportions, is confirmed not only in the five countries on which the survey focuses most closely, but also across the political spectrum. The respondents most keen to see Netanyahu leave the political scene entirely are the Italians, with 68 per cent (only 5 per cent would like to see him win). They French follow at 47 per cent (9 per cent would like him to be re-elected, the same percentage would like him to lose but remain in politics, while 35 per cent have no preference); the Spanish at 44 per cent (15 per cent hope he will win; 18 per cent hope he will lose but remain in politics, and 23 per cent do not know); the Germans at 42 per cent (10 per cent are in favour of the outgoing chancellor’s re-election, 13 per cent want him to lose but remain in politics, and 35 per cent have no preference); the Poles, at 31 per cent (15 per cent support a victory, while 20 per cent hope he loses but remains in politics, and 34 per cent express no preference).
In terms of political alignments, left-wing voters are more likely to support Netanyahu’s defeat and his departure from the political scene. Support ranges from 68 per cent of Green Party supporters to 60 per cent of those in The Left; from 54 per cent of Socialists (S&D) to 50 per cent of Renew Europe supporters. However, it is interesting to note that this is also the most widely held hope – albeit with lower percentages – among right-wing voters, where the only figure on the rise is not the proportion of the Prime Minister’s supporters but of those who say they have no specific preference. Those who want Netanyahu to be defeated and to leave politics account for 43 per cent of the People’s Party (EPP); 36 per cent of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR); 34 per cent of the sovereigntists (Europe of Sovereign Nations, ESN); and 31 per cent of the Patriots for Europe (PfE).
The Europeans surveyed, however, say they are concerned about the possibility of an armed conflict breaking out between EU countries and Russia. Twenty-one per cent say they are very concerned and 48 per cent are quite concerned. Twenty-four per cent are not very concerned, and 7 per cent are not concerned at all. This level of concern is consistent across all five countries surveyed, albeit with some variations. In Italy, 56 per cent of respondents say they are concerned (19 per cent very concerned and 37 per cent quite concerned). The proportion rises considerably in the other four countries: 68 per cent in France, 69 per cent in Germany, 70 per cent in Poland and 74 per cent in Spain.
This picture is consistent across voters of all political persuasions. 64 per cent of The Left voters say they are concerned about the possibility of an armed conflict between EU countries and Russia; 73 per cent of Socialist (S&D) voters; 69 per cent of Greens; 71 per cent of Renew Europe; 72 per cent of the People’s Party (EPP); 64 per cent of Conservatives (ECR); 69 per cent of Patriots (PfE); and 61 per cent of Sovereignists (ESN).
In this regard, the survey also asked respondents what stance they believe EU countries should adopt towards Russia. On this issue, Europeans are divided between “Very tough and uncompromising”, favoured by 36 per cent, and “Seeking compromises and improving relations”, also at 36 per cent, down to “Not too tough, to avoid further tensions”, chosen by 20 per cent. Italy and Germany favour the path of compromise, with 43 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively; Poland (55 per cent), France (46 per cent) and Spain (40 per cent) lean towards a very tough and uncompromising stance.
In terms of political affiliation, voters who identify with pro-European groups, such as Renew Europe (48 per cent), the Greens (45 per cent), the S&D and the EPP (both at 44 per cent), want a clear and united response from Member States, but so do some among the right-wing ECR (42 per cent). Those who identify with the ESN’s sovereigntists (63 per cent), The Left (42 per cent), and the Patriots of PfE (38 per cent), on the other hand, favour a compromise approach.
The survey was conducted online using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) method on a representative sample of the European Union population aged 18 and over. The total sample size is 5,067 complete interviews, distributed proportionally across the populations of the 27 EU countries, with a slight adjustment to enable pan-European analysis of the data, broken down by the five largest countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland) and across three different regions: Central and Eastern Europe, Northern Europe and Southern Europe. Proportional quotas for age and gender were set for each country. The quotas were calculated based on the most recent parameters provided by Eurostat. The interviews were conducted between 21 and 30 September 2026.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
