Greenlanders Prefer Denmark to the U.S. But Want Independence

This article is published in collaboration with Statista

by Anna Fleck

The U.S. is sending a delegation to Greenland, which has ignited backlash from Greenland's leaders who perceive it to be a provocation. The party’s arrival follows soon after U.S. President Donald Trump’s reiteration that he wants to buy the Arctic island, which is home to more than 56,000 people. Data from a recent survey shows that Greenlanders do not want their country to be sold, with only eight percent of respondents stating that they would want to have U.S. citizenship. Denmark was the preferred passport of the two countries, selected by 55 percent of Greenlandic respondents, while 37 percent said they did not know which they would choose.

The poll, which was carried out by Verian on behalf of Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic media Sermitsiaq in January, also asked respondents about their views on independence, a major talking point in Greenland. It found that while a wide spectrum of views on the topic exists, the vast majority said they would want independence if their quality of life were to stay the same or at least would not worsen. However, with approximately 20 percent of Greenland's GDP coming from an annual Danish block grant, which would end with independence, a decline in the quality of life seems a likely outcome if independence is reached, at least in the short term.

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