Public Opinion

List of Public Opinion articles

An image depicting former Saudi King Abdulaziz bin Saud (left), King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seen on a building in Riyadh on April 16.
An image depicting former Saudi King Abdulaziz bin Saud (left), King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seen on a building in Riyadh on April 16.

Saudi Arabia Is Extremely Popular in the Middle East

Mohammed bin Salman’s middle finger to Washington is burnishing Riyadh’s image.

A man holds a Ukrainian flag during a solidarity demonstration in Chicago.
A man holds a Ukrainian flag during a solidarity demonstration in Chicago.
A resident watches a TV screen showing news about Russia’s war in Ukraine at a shopping mall in Hangzhou, China, on Feb. 25.
A resident watches a TV screen showing news about Russia’s war in Ukraine at a shopping mall in Hangzhou, China, on Feb. 25.

Ukraine Exposed the True Danger of Chinese Censorship

The Chinese public has been inoculated against outside information.

Zivil Courage Illustration of words
Zivil Courage Illustration of words

America Doesn’t Need Heroes

Why Germany’s concept of Zivilcourage is one for the Biden era.

Micah Cohen, Nate Silver, and Harry Enten
Micah Cohen, Nate Silver, and Harry Enten

Polling Has a 98 Percent Chance of Being Bad for You

It’s not the accuracy of the polls that matters, it’s their ubiquity.

Chinese Premier Lie Keqiang and Australian then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a state visit in Sydney on Mar. 25, 2017.
Chinese Premier Lie Keqiang and Australian then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a state visit in Sydney on Mar. 25, 2017.

China Learns the Hard Way That Money Can’t Buy You Love

Few countries have soured more rapidly against China than Australia, as decades of influence-building by Beijing come to naught.

Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Oct. 5.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Oct. 5.

Trump, COVID-19, and the Future of International Order

In a new survey, international relations experts are pessimistic about the years to come.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping

When It Comes to China, Americans Think Like Trump

Recent data suggests that most voters share the White House’s hawkish approach to China.

An armed security guard stands on the rooftop of a hotel, next to letters covered in snow reading “Davos,” ahead of the opening of the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2018.
An armed security guard stands on the rooftop of a hotel, next to letters covered in snow reading “Davos,” ahead of the opening of the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2018.

The Global Trust Crisis

World leaders at venues like Davos need to start taking the public’s declining faith in institutions seriously—or face more upheaval to come.

A pro-Trump message on a house in the village of Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland, on the main road to Trump International Golf Club on June 6, 2019.
A pro-Trump message on a house in the village of Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland, on the main road to Trump International Golf Club on June 6, 2019.

Trump’s Growing European Base

Attitudes toward the United States are improving across the Atlantic—but only because the right wing is getting stronger.

Followers of Evangelical Pastor John Hagee chant slogans in support of Israel as they wave Israeli and U.S. flags during a rally in Jerusalem on April 7, 2008.
Followers of Evangelical Pastor John Hagee chant slogans in support of Israel as they wave Israeli and U.S. flags during a rally in Jerusalem on April 7, 2008.

Trump Is Too Pro-Netanyahu for His Own Base

The love affair between the U.S. president and Israeli prime minister might play well at this week’s AIPAC conference, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect Republican voters’ views.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walk outside the Oval Office of the White House on March 5. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walk outside the Oval Office of the White House on March 5. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

Americans Are Increasingly Critical of Israel

New polling shows that the U.S. public’s views on Israel’s policies are shifting.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks to Marine One prior to departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump walks to Marine One prior to departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a reception with Secretary of Defense James Mattis in the East Room of the White House on October 25, 2018.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a reception with Secretary of Defense James Mattis in the East Room of the White House on October 25, 2018.

Americans’ Blind Faith in the Military Is Dangerous

U.S. citizens show deference to the armed forces regardless of their political persuasion. Their willingness to let the generals decide is a threat to the democratic tradition of civilian oversight.

Chinese President Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and U.S. President Donald Trump pose with other Asian leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam on Nov. 11, 2017.
(Jorge Silva/AFP/Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and U.S. President Donald Trump pose with other Asian leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam on Nov. 11, 2017. (Jorge Silva/AFP/Getty Images)

Putin and Xi Outrank Trump in Global Confidence Poll

Merkel and Macron come out far ahead in a new Pew Research survey.

Participants arrive for the final of a Chinese language dictation contest  at the Vladivostok branch of the Confucious Institute at the Far Eastern Federal University on Feb 18, 2017. (Yuri Smityuk/TASS/ Getty Images)
Participants arrive for the final of a Chinese language dictation contest at the Vladivostok branch of the Confucious Institute at the Far Eastern Federal University on Feb 18, 2017. (Yuri Smityuk/TASS/ Getty Images)

Forget Hearts and Minds

Soft power is out; sharp power is in. Here's how to win the new influence wars.

Brazilian congressman and presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, waves to the crowd during a military event in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 3, 2018.
Brazilian congressman and presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, waves to the crowd during a military event in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 3, 2018.

Latin America’s Center Cannot Hold If It Doesn’t Exist

Mainstream establishment parties across the continent have been replaced by populists offering easy and empty answers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office on March 25, 2018.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office on March 25, 2018.

Netanyahu Needs Conflict to Survive

The more Israel’s prime minister escalates tensions, the more his popularity grows.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) along with his wife Sophie Gregoire (L) pay their respects at the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar, India on February 21, 2018.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) along with his wife Sophie Gregoire (L) pay their respects at the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar, India on February 21, 2018.

Teflon Trudeau Is His Own Worst Enemy

In the absence of a serious political challenge from the left or right, Canada’s prime minister is suffering from self-inflicted damage.

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