A new Epinion poll for DR finds that 44 percent of Danes agree there is no room for wolves in the country, a reversal of the balance measured in 2018.
DR published the survey on September 26, 2026, and reports that Danes are split on the animal. In the poll, 44 percent said they fully or mostly agree that there is no room for wolves in Denmark. Another 33 percent said they fully or mostly disagree with the statement.
Epinion surveyed 1,032 Danish residents aged 18 or over between September 9 and September 16, 2026. According to DR, the result turns Danish opinion on its head compared with a similar Epinion poll from 2018. The survey was carried out before the publication of the latest national wolf count.
DR reported earlier in the same week that at least 61 wolf cubs were born in Denmark in 2026. The same figures showed the wolf spreading to more parts of Jutland. The wolf was registered in Denmark again in 2012, after an absence of almost 200 years.
Hans Peter Hansen, a former senior researcher at Aarhus University, links the numbers to recent media coverage. He has worked since 2009 on the consequences of wolves for people. As he told DR, Denmark has not had a large predator in its nature for a long time, and the wolf disturbs a picture of calm, peaceful countryside.
Opposition grows with age
The poll shows a tendency for opposition to the wolf to increase with age. Hansen told DR that older respondents may be more fixed in their view of nature. He added that younger people talk more about biodiversity and giving nature more space.
Two incidents in August 2026 preceded the survey. DR reported that a wolf bared its teeth as it came close to a runner in Bunken Plantage in North Jutland. The following week, a problem wolf was shot in West Jutland after moving around near a playground in Lønne.
Per DR, the Danish Nature Agency shot a wolf at Houstrup in West Jutland on Friday, August 14, 2026. The animal was killed inside a regulation zone. The zone had been established after several episodes in which a problem wolf showed searching behavior toward people.
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DR also spoke with residents on both sides. Tenna Holm Olesen from Skagen said the country is too small for the predator, pointing to livestock that have been badly bitten. Jesper Nielsen, 27, from Rødding said he sees plenty of room for the wolf, while Caroline Faisst in Copenhagen said she understands the concern but opposes removing the animal actively.
