Year in Review: 2021 in Public Opinion

Starting with an attempted insurrection in the United States, closing with the looming threat of war in Ukraine, and with a global pandemic raging throughout, 2021 has been an eventful year. Throughout it all, the Chicago Council Survey team monitored the pulse of the public, both at home and abroad. Catch up on the polls of 2021 as we look forward to what we all hope will be a better 2022.

2021 Chicago Council Survey: A Foreign Policy for the Middle Class?

In 2021, the Council’s survey research was headlined by the 2021 Chicago Council Survey, our annual study of American foreign policy and public opinion. Fielded July 7-26, the 2021 survey focused on the Biden administration’s “Foreign Policy for the Middle Class” and how it aligns—or diverges—from the public’s policy preferences. As we write in A Foreign Policy for the Middle Class–What Americans Think, there is some overlap between the priorities of the public and the administration.

Like the Biden administration, the American public believes that greater focus on domestic priorities, such as improving public education and strengthening American democracy, is important for maintaining American influence abroad. And like many in Washington, Americans are increasingly concerned about the rise of China and are less confident in the United States’ edge over Beijing in the military and economic realms. However, the public is more enthusiastic about international trade than the administration credits it for, and less focused on promoting democracy abroad than the administration is.  

Learn more in the full report, and check out the full toplines, now available on our website.

January 6 and Other Fallout 

The political drama in the United States did not end with the 2020 election. Instead, a rally for defeated President Donald Trump turned into a deadly riot on Capitol Hill. As the work of the January 6 committee continues, take a look back on Americans’ initial reactions to the violence on Capitol Hill, and find out what the public thinks the long-term repercussions may be.

• What Americans Make of the January 6 Chaos at the Capitol
• Americans Condemn Capitol Riots; Reject Violence in Politics
• Greatest Threat: Democrats Say White Nationalism, Republicans Say China
• Americans Expect Temporary Drop in US Influence Due to Capitol Attack

Afghanistan and 9/11 

In 2021, the United States withdrew its military forces from Afghanistan, ending a war that began nearly two decades earlier in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Council polling throughout the summer found that Americans were largely supportive of the withdrawal but criticized elements of its implementation. In the wake of the withdrawal, the Council published analyses of American opinions on the Biden administration's handling of the situation, the evacuation, relocation of Afghan refugees, and more.  

• US Public Supports Withdrawal From Afghanistan
• Majority of Americans Support Withdrawal from Afghanistan, but Criticize Its Implementation
• Republicans and Democrats Support Evacuating, Relocating Afghans to the United States
• 20 Years Later: 9/11 In The Public Memory
• For American Public, Military Conflict is New Normal

US-Russia relations  

US relations with Russia remain frosty under the Biden administration, and were so even before the recent buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border. In the meantime, Russian-Chinese relations have grown closer, and Russians see little risk to increasing ties with Beijing. The Council survey team partnered with the Levada Research Center in Moscow to examine attitudes in both countries on bilateral issues.

• Half of Americans Support Use of US Troops in Defense of Ukraine
• Despite Political Tension, Americans and Russians See Cooperation as Essential
• Russians See Greater Reward than Risk in Closer Relations with China
• In Russia, Navalny Inspires Respect for Some, Indifference for Most
• SolarWinds Hack: Americans Prefer Sanctions over Retaliatory Cyberattack against Russia
• What Do Russians Think about The Relationship with China

US-Iran relations

Iran and the United States are holding indirect negotiations on rejoining a nuclear agreement, with Tehran still feeling the sting from former President Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 deal. While this new round of negotiations could provide an opportunity for the Biden administration to pursue a diplomatic route, there will be challenges in persuading both the GOP and Iranian leadership to rejoin a nuclear deal. The Council partnered with Toronto-based IranPoll on a series of questions examining the future of US-Iranian relations.

• As Nuclear Clock Ticks, US Public Prefers Diplomacy with Iran
• Iranians Consider China Even More Important Than Regional Allies
• Disappointed in Rouhani, Iranians Seek a Different Sort of Leader in June Elections
• Iranians and Americans Support A Mutual Return to JCPOA

Asia Policy 

Tensions continue to grow in Asia as the United States and China take a more competitive stance toward one another. As those tensions have grown, the American public’s views have soured toward China, driving increased willingness among Americans to defend US allies and partners around the region. For the first time, that includes Taiwan: as the 2021 Chicago Council Survey found, a majority of Americans now favor defending Taiwan if China were to attack. But the public is not dead set on confrontation with Beijing. Americans prefer an approach to China that focuses on cooperating where possible and confronting where necessary.

• Republicans and Democrats Split on China Policy
• For First Time, Half of Americans Favor Defending Taiwan If China Invades
• Divisions on US-China Policy: Opinion Leaders and the Public
• American Public Divided on Cooperating with, Confronting China
• Americans Are Divided over Boycotting the 2022 Beijing Olympics

For Americans, Asia policy means strengthening ties with US allies in the region, most critically Japan and South Korea. Both are seen as important allies for the United States, and favorable views of both are at high points in Council polling. Throughout the year, the Council published new data on American perceptions of Asia that shed light on these critical US alliances, with data from all three nations.

• Americans Remain Committed to South Korea, View North Korea as an Adversary
• Ahead of Biden-Moon Summit, South Koreans and Americans Align on China and North Korea
• Ahead of Biden-Suga Summit, Americans See Japan as the United States' Most Important Partner
• Japanese Public Values Ties to US, But Would Prefer to Cooperate with China, Too
• South Koreans See China as More Threat than Partner, But Not the Most Critical Threat Facing the Country
• Trump Aftershocks Still Pose Challenges for US-Japan Alliance 

Happy holidays, and best wishes for the new year from the Chicago Council Survey team!