Search The Council

Weekly analysis of public opinion as governments around the world impose increasing restrictions and the number of active cases surges.

New survey data shows a partisan divide on what Americans believe is the greatest threat to the United States: Democrats rank violent white nationalist groups the highest, while Republicans list China as the greatest threat.

A Democratic victory provides an opportunity for transatlantic collaboration, but structures for cooperation among stakeholders in the US need to be revived.

Recent survey findings show that policies focused on furthering US energy independence are most likely to gain bipartisan support.

But Republicans and Democrats are sharply divided when it comes to immigration levels.

Fireside Chat with Ivo Daalder and Kishore Mahbubani moderated by Vuk Jeremic on CIRSD YouTube channel on Wednesday, April 22nd at 9 p.m (CEST).

"If Taiwan […] is part of an international struggle against the PRC, how is that not a de facto ‘one China, one Taiwan’ policy?” writes Paul Heer in National Interest.

A recent survey among Hong Kong residents shows that they're dissatisfied with the actions of the police and support an independent investigation into the protest's origins and potential police abuse.

Washington and Beijing see themselves locked in a zero-sum competition doubling as an existential ideological struggle, Paul Heer writes.

As the United States and China compete for influence in the region, two experts weigh in on what Africans would like to see from each potential partner moving forward.

Securing aid on denuclearizing North Korea requires understanding of China’s strategic thinking, says this report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

There was no way for Blinken’s Beijing trip to go on as planned and not focus inordinately on the balloon incident, argues Paul Heer.

Survey data shows that Russians are more likely than Americans to say that their nation's government handled the coronavirus pandemic effectively.

Council expert Dina Smeltz explains the different views on issues between “Trump Republicans” and “Non-Trump Republicans.

The trade war between China and the United States that began last year has already caused problems for Illinois farmers, spirits distillers and businesses in other industries.

An important debate has cracked open about the future of the U.S.-China relationship. This was inevitable. But the debate, while increasingly contentious, has been limited to politicians, policymakers, and pundits, largely overlooking what most

“We can use Big Data to understand and communicate the planetary crisis while simultaneously measuring progress,” Nonresident Senior Fellow Robert Muggah writes in Foreign Policy.

An announcement made following the G7 Hiroshima Summit brings the group one step closer to a proposed “Economic Article 5.”

"Right now, I think Russia represents the bigger threat. China represents the bigger long-term competition," says Council President Ivo Daalder, discussing the 2022 Chicago Council Survey.

The strategy debate has serious implications for both Taipei and, by association, the United States, argues Ethan Kessler.

Existential threats like hunger and malnutrition, natural disasters, and agricultural pests impact international trade and economics, geopolitics, labor, and even migration across borders.

Republicans with very favorable views of Trump are more likely than other GOP backers to support deportations for undocumented immigrants.

Public surveys about Taiwan's willingness to fight an invasion by China don't reveal as much as one might think.

In this Chicago Council on Global Affairs blog, Dina Smeltz and Brendan Helm explain immigration policy risks for presidential candidates.

Chinese officials have elevated food security as a policy priority, and they're taking seeds seriously.

Through infrastructure investments, economic integration, and green and digital transitions, the EU's Global Gateway will shape Africa and its cities as new hubs for development.

Inevitably, the COVID-19 pandemic will change how people across the world think about foreign relations. Craig Kafura looks at Australia as a case study for how these changes affect public opinion.

A comparison of two recent polls finds some similarities—and some significant differences—in how international relations scholars and the American public want to approach China.

A new poll shows Iranians recognize the economic and security benefits of a closer relationship with China.

With an extension on Brexit in place, we revisit the prospects of a future trade agreement between the UK and the US.  

Nonresident Senior Fellow Theresa Fallon weighs in on the opportunities the war in Ukraine presents to both Russia and China.

“The risk with TikTok is real, but American social media companies pose real risk, too,” writes Elizabeth Shackelford in the Chicago Tribune.

This Chicago Council on Global Affairs blog post explores how recent polling finds that Americans have a more negative view on China than ever before.

Turks may be considering realigning eastward amid negative views on Western alliances.

Paul Heer discusses Xi Jinping's "wolf warrior diplomacy."

New Chicago Council-Japan Institute of International Affairs data find the Japanese public has greater confidence in US economic and military power than do Americans.

In a shift from just a month ago, the Japanese public favors tough sanctions on Russia in concert with the US and Europe. 

This Chicago Council on Global Affairs blog post explores tensions between these two key US allies in Asia – Japan and South Korea.

Dina Smeltz discusses survey data reflecting Japanese opinion on US-China relations.

The US strategy toward Africa today is neither effective nor sustainable. It’s time to flip the script.

While moderate Democrats are more supportive of funding the military, liberals are more willing to deploy troops to defend allies, 2021 Chicago Council Survey data show.

For more than a century, tattoo artists have connected Chicagoans with other countries and cultures — a tradition that lives on, even as the industry changes.

But partisan divisions over using US troops to defend allies in Europe and Asia are growing.

Nationwide surveys conducted by IranPoll show that although Iranians say their country should not develop nuclear weapons, they have lost confidence in the nuclear agreement.

Republicans with a very favorable view of the former president seem to prefer a US role that is more independent and less cooperative.

The world's democracies need a way to fight back against coercive economic actions by authoritarian governments, argue Ivo Daalder and Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Mexico's threat to ban GM corn presents an opportunity to re-evaluate agricultural norms in the United States and address inequities in trade.

The Secretary of State’s approach to Beijing risks confirming its suspicions about U.S. subversion while simultaneously alienating the very Chinese people that he aspires to "engage and empower."

While younger Americans are most concerned about climate change, pluralities of each generation are ready to take action to prevent it.

"It will take years of continued improvements to rebuild American confidence and trust in China," Craig Kafura says.