Focus groups with young adults in France, Germany and the United Kingdom revealed that these young people see the U.S. as the “world’s policeman” with a self-interested history of interventionism, while China is labeled the “world’s factory,” respected for its economic dominance but criticized for its expansionism and human rights violations.
Focus groups with young adults in France, Germany and the United Kingdom revealed that these young people see the U.S. as the “world’s policeman” with a self-interested history of interventionism, while China is labeled the “world’s factory,” respected for its economic dominance but criticized for its expansionism and human rights violations.
Twenty years ago this month, the U.S. launched a major invasion of Iraq. President George W. Bush and his administration at first drew broad public support for the use of military force. Yet the campaign soon left Americans deeply divided, and by 2019, 62% said the Iraq War was not worth fighting.
Though younger people tend to be more internationally oriented than older adults, they differ from one another over how they want their country to engage with the world. To better understand these perspectives, we conducted 16 focus groups with young adults in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.