2024 Opinion Leaders Survey

RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey by Dina Smeltz , Craig Kafura , Lama El Baz , Jordan Tama , Joshua Busby , and Jonathan Monten
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris participate in a debate
Alex Brandon / AP

We investigate where the attitudes of foreign policy professionals and the American public align—and diverge—in a major election year.

To evaluate public and opinion-leader views heading into the 2024 US presidential election, the Texas National Security Network and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs conducted our sixth joint opinion leaders survey from August 7 to October 3, 2024. The survey included 471 foreign policy opinion leaders from different professional groups, including executive branch agencies, Congress, academia, think tanks, the media, interest groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), religious institutions, labor unions, and business. In the related briefs, we compare these findings among opinion leaders to findings among the public using the 2024 Chicago Council Survey.

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About the Authors
Dina Smeltz
Vice President, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Headshot for Dina Smeltz
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.
Headshot for Dina Smeltz
Craig Kafura
Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
headshot of Craig Kafura
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.
headshot of Craig Kafura
Lama El Baz
Research Assistant, Public Opinion and US Foreign Policy
Headshot for Lama El Baz
Lama El Baz joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2023 as a research assistant for the public opinion and US foreign policy team within the Lester Crown Center. She is passionate about public opinion research, data analytics, and the regional affairs of the Middle East and North Africa.
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Jordan Tama
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
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Jordan Tama is a nonresident senior fellow of public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He’s an associate professor at the School of International Service at American University. He’s also a co-director of Bridging the Gap.
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Joshua Busby
Nonresident Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Nonresident Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy expert Joshua Busby
Joshua Busby is a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. He is also a nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Nonresident Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy expert Joshua Busby
Jonathan Monten
Associate Professor; Director
Jonathan Monten is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Public Policy Program at University College London.
Issues US Foreign Policy Public Opinion
Regions Global
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