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A majority of Europeans would support measures similar to President Trump's temporary immigration ban on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries, according to a recent survey conducted by Chatham House, a London-based foreign affairs think tank.

Mr. Trump's executive order, which was temporarily halted by a federal judge inÌýSeattle, sparked waves of protests in the United States and abroad, with protestors' concerns echoingÌýthose ofÌýmany European leaders and politicians. But despite the large numbers of protesters, the Chatham House survey may indicate that they could be in the minority.

The survey was given to 10,000 people from 10 different European countries, and found that in almost every state,Ìýa majority of those surveyed would support the statement, "All further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped."Ìý

While the research was conducted before the executive order was put in place in the United States, the researchers drew a parallel between the statement and the spirit of Trump's ban.

"There is evidence to suggest that both Trump and these radical right-wing parties reflect an underlying reservoir of public support," they noted.

Overall,Ìý55 percent of Europeans surveyed agreed with the anti-Muslim immigration statement, and only 20 percent disagreed. The rest neither agreed nor disagreed.

This majority opinion stands in contrast to that ofÌýmany European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said she felt the need to explain "the United NationsÌýRefugee ConventionÌýto the president in a phone call," as the study notes,Ìýand French President François Hollande, who said he told Trump thatÌý"the ongoing fight to defend our democracy will be effective only if we sign up to respect to the founding principles and, in particular, the welcoming of refugees."

But many mainstream European leaders like Mr. Hollande and Dr. Merkel have begun to feel the heat in recent years as anti-immigration sentiments and economic woes fuel the rise of far-right populism across Europe. Trump's unexpected anti-establishment victory in the US in November put many leaders in the EU on the defensive, as º£½Ç´óÉñÌýreported in December:

The recent survey results could spell bad news for establishment eurozone politicians still reelingÌýfrom unexpected anti-EU victories such as the Brexit vote last year, which was also driven in part by immigration fears. Britain, however, was one of only two countries surveyed where approval for the anti-Muslim immigration statement fell below the majority threshold, with only 47 percent approval. Spain had the lowest agreement rate, at 41 percent, while the highest went to Poland, where the agreement rate stood at 71 percent.

In France, where establishment politics are under threat by the rise of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in polls for the upcoming presidential election, the approval for the statement stood at 61 percent. In Germany, where pro-refugee Merkel will try to win a fourth term in September,Ìýa tighter majority approving of the statement, at 53 percent, though only 19 percent of Germans said they disagreed with the statement.

The survey also noted that people with lower levels of education tended to be more likely to agree with the statement. Older, retired survey-takers tended to support the statement as well, compared to survey-takers under the age of 30.

In every country surveyed, at leastÌý38 percent of people "strongly agreed," and no country saw more than 32 percent disagree.

"Our results are striking and sobering," the researchers wrote about the survey. "They suggest that public opposition to any further migration from predominantly Muslim states is by no means confined to Trump's electorate in the US but is fairly widespread."