Europeans reject tariffs despite US trade war

Europeans do not support implementing revenge trade tariffs, according to a new study.

A team of researchers surveyed nearly 5,500 people in Germany and Britain about types of tariffs. They found Germans and Britons consistently rejected tariffs, whether they were framed as protecting domestic industries, funding green initiatives, or responding to unfair trade practices from other countries.

The study, published in the Journal of European Public Policy, was conducted immediately after President Donald Trump's tariff announcement in April 2025, when stock markets in Germany and Britain suffered their worst day since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Katharina Lawall, who co-authored the study from the University of Reading, said: “The findings challenge the misconception that trade wars enjoy popular support. Opposition to tariffs was consistent across age groups, genders, education levels and political leanings. This matters for diplomats making trade deals in a volatile world, as it suggests there may be limited public appetite for escalating trade conflicts."

Explaining early polls

In April 2025, US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from the European Union and United Kingdom. Early polls suggested strong public support for hitting back with European tariffs. 68% of Germans and 71% of Britons said they favoured this approach in a YouGov survey. 

The research team believes early polls may have captured emotional, patriotic reactions rather than genuine policy preferences. When people had to weigh tariffs against other options, they chose alternatives.

Surprisingly, even people who disliked America or President Trump did not necessarily support tariffs more strongly. In Germany, those with negative views of the US showed slightly more support for tariffs. But in Britain the pattern reversed. People who liked America were marginally more supportive of tariffs. Crucially, both groups still rejected tariffs overall.

Grahn, M., Lawall, K., Mainz, S., Nordbrandt, M., & Turnbull-Dugarte, S. J. (2025). A game of tariffs: is there demand for tariffs in Europe? Journal of European Public Policy, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2025.2571062