American and Russian Public Opinion: Where We Are and How We Got Here

PAST EVENT VIDEO

Panel

Researchers discussed findings from a bi-national study of American and Russian public opinion, including perceptions of the crisis in Ukraine, interference in US elections, and more.

Eurasian Women’s Forum

Speakers

Dina Smeltz
Lily Wojtowicz
Denis Volkov
Stepan Goncharov
Jeffrey Mankoff

Event Date

April 8, 2019

About this Event

At a time of unprecedented tension in US-Russia relations, understanding why the two countries pursue conflicting foreign policies requires not just a close reading of their political institutions and security environments, but of how the two publics perceive each other and the world. Is Russia more or less respected than it was five years ago? Should the US cooperate with or contain Russia? Are sanctions against Russia working? Do Americans want arms control? Is Russia a threat to US national security? Is America the biggest threat posed to Russia?

Join us for a presentation of the findings from a new bi-national study of American and Russian public opinion conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Levada Analytical Center. Researchers from the Council and Levada will discuss and provide context for public perceptions of Russia’s return to prominence on the world stage, interference in the 2016 US Presidential election, the crisis in Ukraine, and the possibility of a new arms race.

About the Speakers

Dina Smeltz

Vice President, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy

Dina Smeltz, a polling expert, has more than 25 years of experience designing and fielding international social and political surveys. Prior to joining the Council to lead its annual survey of American attitudes on US foreign policy, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US State Department's Office of Research from 1992 to 2008.

Lily Wojtowicz

Janne E. Nolan Nuclear Security Fellow, Truman Center

Lily Wojtowicz is the Janne E. Nolan Fellow for Nuclear Security and a PhD student at American University. Her research interests are nuclear deterrence, alliance management, Russian public opinion, and US-Russian relations.

Denis Volkov

Director of the Levada Analytical Center

Deputy Director of the Levada Analytical Center

Stepan Goncharov

Sociologist, Levada Analytical Center

Stepan Goncharov is a senior research fellow at the Levada Center. Goncharov’s field of expertise and research interests include public opinion on international relations, use of media, and modern social processes in Russia. He is a regular contributor for ridl.io (Riddle), an online-journal on Russian affairs. Gonhcarov holds a Specialist degree in Political Science from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and has broad experience in qualitative studies.

Jeffrey Mankoff

Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program

Jeffrey Mankoff is deputy director and senior fellow with the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program. He is the author of Russian Foreign Policy: The Return of Great Power Politics and a frequent commentator on international security, Russian foreign policy, regional security in the Caucasus and Central Asia, ethnic conflict, and energy security. Before coming to CSIS, he served as an adviser on US-Russia relations at the US Department of State as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow.

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