It will not be an advantage for Greenland to become part of the United States.
This is what 76 percent of respondents say in a new poll conducted by election analyst Sune Steffen Hansen from Copenhagen Post, with Opinion Danmark A/S as data supplier.
In the survey, participants were asked the question: Overall, do you think it would be an advantage for Greenland if Greenland became part of the United States?
Only eight percent answered “yes” to that question, while 17 percent answered “don’t know”.
The poll, conducted both online and by telephone in January, comes at a time of turmoil, with the US president repeating his claims that he wants to take control of Greenland.
- The figures clearly show that there is no support for becoming part of the USA. It is reasonable to believe that the heated discussion about Greenland's future over the past month has probably only pushed the USA further away from the Greenlanders, says Sune Steffen Hansen.
54 percent worried about military power
Until January 21st at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, military force was still on the table as a tool for the US to get Greenland. Donald Trump stated in his speech in Davos that he would not use force.
But fear has set in. When asked how concerned people are about the US deploying military forces in Greenland to take control of the country, 54 percent say they are either very concerned or somewhat concerned.
40 percent respond that they are not very worried or not at all worried.
EU over the US?
Chairman of the Greenlandic Government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen (D), was very clear when he stood at a press conference with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen three weeks ago:
"If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO, the Kingdom of Denmark and the EU," he said.
And the public agrees, according to the new poll from Sune Steffen Hansen and Copenhagen Post.
65 percent respond that they believe it would be best for Greenland to strengthen cooperation with the EU over the USA.
- The fact that almost seven out of ten Greenlanders prefer the EU to the USA must be read into the current situation. It is significant, assesses Sune Steffen Hansen.
Only five percent chose the United States, while 29 percent chose neither or did not know.
A survey conducted by Nasiffik in 2024 showed that 60 percent of the population would vote yes to membership of the EU.
But while the parties in Inatsisartut would like increased cooperation with the EU, there was not much enthusiasm for re-joining when they discussed it in the chamber in early October 2025.
Is an independent Greenland realistic?
In a nearly nine-hour debate on "The State of the Realm" in Inatsisartut on Monday, Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that the United States will in no way accept that Greenland becomes independent, and therefore talk of statehood is not appropriate at this time:
- It is the reality that over on the other side (USA, ed.) there is a desire to annex Greenland, said Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
But there the population is a little calmer.
Half of those surveyed answered "yes" to the fact that Greenland can become independent in the long term and thus withdraw from the Commonwealth, without another country gaining decisive political or military influence over Greenland.
Over a quarter answered "no", while the rest were unsure.
