Lester Crown Center on US Foreign Policy

Shaping debates and informing decisions on important US foreign policy issues.
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Public Opinion
Chicago Council Survey data tracks trends in American public opinion on US foreign policy since 1975.
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From the Lester Crown Center

RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey
Young Russians Feel More Threatened by Terrorism Than War in Ukraine
eople lay flowers and light candles next to the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow eople lay flowers and light candles next to the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow eople lay flowers and light candles next to the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow eople lay flowers and light candles next to the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow Public Opinion
Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP
Before the Crocus City Hall attack, a plurality of Russian young adults said Russia’s top foreign policy priority should be bolstering the country’s physical defenses.
a Chinese flag hangs near an automated parcel handling line at a warehouse for an online retailer in Beijing a Chinese flag hangs near an automated parcel handling line at a warehouse for an online retailer in Beijing a Chinese flag hangs near an automated parcel handling line at a warehouse for an online retailer in Beijing a Chinese flag hangs near an automated parcel handling line at a warehouse for an online retailer in Beijing Public Opinion
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Americans Want US Leaders to Focus More on China and Southern Border
Blog Running Numbers by Dina Smeltz
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meet at the Pentagon Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meet at the Pentagon Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meet at the Pentagon Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meet at the Pentagon Public Opinion
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
American Public Divided over US Approach to Israel's War in Gaza
RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv
AP Photos
US Foreign Policy

2023 Survey of Public Opinion on US Foreign Policy

RESEARCH Public Opinion Survey
The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to impact American attitudes toward global engagement.

Center at a Glance

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Reuters
Public Opinion Surveys on US Foreign Policy

First conducted in 1974, the now annual Chicago Council Survey highlights critical trends and shifts in American views on US foreign policy over time.

A screenshot of a recording of World Review on May 22, 2020.
World Review

Former NATO Ambassador and Council CEO Ivo Daalder talks with leading media commentators about emerging global news during this live streaming show every Friday at 10 a.m. CT.

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Running Numbers Blog

A public opinion, probabilities, and everything data-related blog featuring commentary and analysis from polling and foreign policy experts.

Ivo Daalder appears on PBS Newshour
In the News

Commentary and analysis from Lester Crown Center experts featured in digital, print, and TV news.

Meet the Experts
All Lester Crown Center experts
Headshot for Dina Smeltz

Dina Smeltz

Senior Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
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.
More about Dina
Council expert Karl Friedhoff

Karl Friedhoff

Marshall M. Bouton Fellow for Asia Studies
Karl Friedhoff was a Korea Foundation-Mansfield Foundation US-Korea Nexus Scholar and a member of the Mansfield Foundation’s Trilateral Working Group prior to joining the Council. Previously, he was a program officer in the Public Opinion Studies Program at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies based in Seoul, South Korea.
More about Karl
headshot of Craig Kafura

Craig Kafura

Assistant Director, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Craig Kafura is the assistant director for 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.
More about Craig
All Lester Crown Center experts

Crown Center Events

a nuclear cloud
Canva
What Young Americans Think about Nuclear Weapons
PAST EVENT VIDEO

Experts discuss the Council’s latest polling on nuclear issues and what more can be done to engage the next generation.

Biden in front of a screen at a climate summit.
White House
Public Opinion and Foreign Policy – Does It Matter, and If So, How?
PAST EVENT VIDEO

Students within the Associated Colleges of the Midwest joined a conversation with Council experts to explore a foreign policy strategy that addresses Midwestern audiences' priorities.

Reuters
Continue the Conversation: The Legacy of America's Longest War
PAST EVENT

Following the public program “The Legacy of America’s Longest War,” Sponsor-level members and above are invited to “Continue the Conversation” with Council experts on the current and future realities in Afghanistan.

An aircraft carrier and a helicopter destroyer sail in formation with 16 other ships from the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as aircraft from the U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fly overhead in formation.
Kaila V. Peters
Confronting China's Rise to Regional Dominance
PAST EVENT VIDEO

A panel of experts from the United States, Japan, and South Korea discuss a coordinated trilateral response to China’s growing power in the Asia-Pacific region.