Faroese public concerned about China and Russia

Faroese people worry about China and Russia’s increasing control in international affairs, and they are also less supportive of the US than in previous years.

These are the key conclusions of a public opinion poll on Faroese views on foreign affairs and national security in a Faroese context.

The poll was commissioned by opposition party Javnaðarflokkurin (the Social Democratic Party) and carried out by polling company spyr.fo.

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Almost half (46.2 percent) of the 500 respondents said that the United States should not be an ally to the Faroe Islands when it comes to defence and national security matters.

Some 34 percent said yes, and 20 percent said they were undecided.

The poll also gives a clear indication that Faroese views on US-Faroe relations vary significantly depending on who is president of the US.

China and Russia

Almost 71 percent of the respondents expressed concerns over the increasing influence that China and Russia have on world politics.

Some 70 percent said that Faroese politicians should be cautious when making decisions on international trade and foreign policy matters.

Almost 12 said that Faroese politicians are not being cautious in these situations.

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Only 14 percent expressed approval of Chinese tech giant Huawei as a provider for the Faroese 5G network.

Just over 36 percent said they wanted Swedish provider Ericsson to do the job, 6.2 percent said “another provider”, while 43.2 percent said they were undecided on the matter.

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The poll also indicates that the Faroese are not very keen on the government’s plan to open a Faroese representation office in Israel, with 56 percent expressing a “negative” or “very negative” view.

Almost 20 percent expressed “positive” or “very positive” views on the matter. The rest were undecided.

If the plan to open a representation office in Israel does go ahead, most respondents (42.4 percent) said they would like the office to be located in Tel-Aviv, while 19.2 percent said they preferred Jerusalem.

Translated by prosa.fo