Public Opinion

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs has conducted public opinion surveys for more than 50 years, and the results help shape policy debates and inform decisions on the most consequential foreign policy issues facing the United States. 
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Chicago Council Survey
The Chicago Council Survey, conducted annually, provides the most comprehensive view of American public opinion on US foreign policy issues, highlighting key trends and shifts in thinking since 1974.
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Commentary
Analysis on public opinion, probabilities, and everything data-related from polling and foreign policy experts.
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International Surveys
Conducted with international partner organizations, these surveys explore how publics around the world think about critical global issues.
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Pamela Smith / AP
Public Opinion

Americans, Foreign Policy, and the 2026 Midterms

RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey
Results and analysis of the Council's 2026 annual survey of American views on foreign policy.
RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey
Americans Say AI Benefits Are Not Worth the Risks
Protesters demonstrate outside of the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference Protesters demonstrate outside of the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference Protesters demonstrate outside of the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference Protesters demonstrate outside of the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference Technology
Jeff Chiu / AP
Half of Americans also say artificial intelligence poses a critical threat to the vital interests of the United States over the next decade.
Smoke rises above warehouse stores behind a sunflower field following a Russian air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine Smoke rises above warehouse stores behind a sunflower field following a Russian air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine Smoke rises above warehouse stores behind a sunflower field following a Russian air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine Smoke rises above warehouse stores behind a sunflower field following a Russian air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine Public Opinion
Efrem Lukatsky / AP
Most Americans Favor Increasing Sanctions on Russia
RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey by Lama El Baz
US and Israel flags stand outside of the White House US and Israel flags stand outside of the White House US and Israel flags stand outside of the White House US and Israel flags stand outside of the White House Public Opinion
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
American Favorability of Israel Drops to Record Low
RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey

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Donald Trump pictured in front of an American flag Public Opinion
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Trump Has Lost the Foreign Policy Debate
In the News Foreign Policy

Polling by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Texas at Austin shows the president’s policies are deeply unpopular.

People vote in the primary election at Northwestern High School in Detroit Public Opinion
Nic Antaya / AO
War, Tariffs, Israel: How Trump’s Foreign Policy Is Influencing the Midterms
In the News The Christian Science Monitor by Dina Smeltz

“People are making the connection between a foreign policy issue and their personal financial well-being more than at any time I’ve seen in the last 15 years," Council Managing Director and Chair of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Dina Smeltz tells The Christian Science Monitor.

Two men walk past the NATO logo Public Opinion
Hussein Malla / AP
Transatlantic Publics Lose Confidence That Allies Will Help in Event of Attack
COLUMN Running Numbers by Dina Smeltz

But both Americans and Europeans are hopeful that relations will improve in the future.

teens hold their cell phones Public Opinion
Rick Rycroft / AP
Trumpism and TikTok: The Factors Shaping Young Americans' Foreign Policy Views
ANALYSIS

Millennial and Generation Z Americans have come of age during a time of technological change, economic upheaval, and strategic overreach.

Meet the Experts
Headshot for Dina Smeltz

Dina Smeltz

Managing Director & Chair, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
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.
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Craig Kafura

Director, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
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.
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headshot of Lama El Baz

Lama El Baz

Research Associate, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Lama El Baz joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2023 and currently serves as the research associate for public opinion and foreign policy. She is passionate about public opinion research, data analytics, and the regional affairs of the Middle East and North Africa.
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