MICROCODE

This report compares U.K. public and elite views on NATO’s collective defense amid global tensions and Donald Trump’s 2025 return to office. Parliamentarians were slightly more likely than the public to see NATO commitments as credible. Notably, they viewed the U.S. as less likely than the public to defend Latvia in case of a Russian invasion, but saw other NATO members (U.K., France, Germany, Poland, and Canada) as more likely to offer support.

This research report examines public opinion in five NATO countries on defending Taiwan amid heightened U.S.-China tensions during Trump’s second term. It finds strong support for defending Taiwan in North America but much lower support in Europe. Across all countries, defending NATO member Latvia received more backing than defending Taiwan.

This research report investigates Russian public views on NATO’s collective defense during early 2025, amid escalating U.S. rhetoric and halted aid to Ukraine. Survey data from January and March show a decline in perceived U.S. commitment to defend NATO allies, dropping from 53% to 48%.

Through surveys conducted in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, Poland, and Russia, the research report explores how recent geopolitical developments—such as Trump’s rhetoric, the suspension of U.S. military aid to Ukraine, and a rapprochement with Russia—have influenced public support for NATO defense commitments.

Thank you for the strong interest in our Ph.D. position! We will be sending invitation emails to the second round of the selection procedure during January. Candidates who did not progress to the second round will receive a rejection email during January.

We are happy to welcome you on our new website for the ERC-funded project Microcode. Here, you will be able to find all our research findings as well as relevant news to the topic of microfoundations of collective defence.