At the Water's Edge: Foreign Policy, Polarization, and the American Public
Craig Kafura, Sarah Maxey, and Gerard Baker discuss findings from the Chicago Council’s 2025 annual survey, highlighting where Americans are divided—and where consensus still exists—on the US role in the world.
Jan
28
Carolyn Kaster / AP
About This Event
The Chicago Council has been polling Americans on attitudes on US foreign policy for five decades, and the latest results show that the US public is more divided than ever on the country's role in the world. What's driving these splits, and where do we still find common ground? The Chicago Council on Global Affairs' 2025 survey reveals how partisan polarization is reshaping public opinion on everything from tariffs, to support for Israel and Ukraine, how to deal with China, and immigration. Which foreign policy issues unite us across party lines, and where are the sharpest disagreements? Join us as we unpack the data and explore what these divisions mean for the future of US global leadership.
About the Speakers
Director, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Craig Kafura is the director of public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and a Pacific Forum Young Leader. At the Council, he coordinates work on public opinion and foreign policy and is a regular contributor to the public opinion and foreign policy blog Running Numbers.
Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago Department of Political Science
Sarah Maxey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. Her research and teaching focus on foreign policy, public opinion, and the domestic politics of international security.
Gerard Baker
Editor at Large, The Wall Street Journal
Gerard Baker is Editor at Large of The Wall Street Journal. He writes a weekly column for the editorial page of The Journal each Tuesday on politics, economics, and culture, and appears frequently as a commentator on TV and other news platforms. Baker was previously Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal.
America at 250: The Arc of Global Influence
This content is part of the Council’s America at 250 initiative, a series of high-level dialogues, expert perspectives, public and private programs, and a signature conference focused on the critical questions that will define America’s future.