Chicago Council Survey of American Public Opinion and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2014

The Chicago Surveys are part of a long-running series of public opinion surveys conducted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs every two years. The surveys are designed to investigate the opinions and attitudes of the general public on matters related to foreign policy, and to define the parameters of public opinion within which decision-makers must operate. This public opinion study of the United States focused on respondents' opinions of the United States' leadership role in the world and the challenges the country faces domestically and internationally. Data were collected on a wide range of international topics, including: United States relations with other countries, role in foreign affairs, possible threats to vital interests in the next ten years, foreign policy goals, benefits or drawbacks of globalization, situations that might justify the use of United States troops in other parts of the world, the number and location of United States military bases overseas, respondent feelings toward people of other countries, opinions on the influence of other countries in the world and how much influence those countries should have, international trade, United States participation in potential treaties, the United States' role in the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which side the United States should take in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and what measures should be taken to deal with Iran's nuclear program. Respondents were also asked their opinion on domestic issues including funding for various government programs, climate change, measures to address the United States' dependence on foreign energy sources, and their views of various groups' influence on United States policy. Demographic information collected include age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, left-right political self-placement, political affiliation, employment status, highest level of education, and religious preference, household income, state of residence, and living quarters ownership status.