This is the 13th Transatlantic Trends survey; it began in 2002 as World Views. Over more than a decade, Transatlantic Trends has become the preeminent source of United States and European public opinion on a host of transatlantic issues, including foreign policy challenges, support for NATO, the economy, and the rise of other world powers. The data provided by the survey have become an invaluable tool for policymakers, the media, think tanks, and academics. In addition to producing original research, the survey’s goal is also to foster debate on the strategic policy goals, objectives, and values of the United States and Europe as members of the transatlantic community. The 13 years reflected by our polls have been tumultuous for both Europe and the United States, shaped for a long time by a marked divide about the United States intervention in Iraq, the alliance’s role in Afghanistan, and the global economic crisis. Increasingly, the poll also shows a deepening north-south divide within Europe — at a time when publics on both sides of the Atlantic appear to be drawing closer together again. This year’s survey continues to include data on mobility, migration, and integration, based on a previous survey, Transatlantic Trends: Immigration. Greece and Russia have been added to the Transatlantic Trends survey this year, and as you will see in the data, they make compelling additions to the sections on foreign, security, and economic policy. They add depth and diversity to the survey during a time of heightened interest in transatlantic relations in a globalized world.
Karen Donfried
President, German Marshall Fund of the United States