Defense & National Security

featureOct 16, 2014

Greatest Dangers in the World

Our 2014 Global Attitudes survey in 44 countries asked which among five dangers was considered to be the “greatest threat to the world.” Many in the Middle East said religious and ethnic hatred was the greatest threat, while Europeans tended to choose inequality. Africans are more concerned with AIDS and other infectious diseases, while scattered countries, many with good reason, chose the spread of nuclear weapons or pollution and environmental problems as the top danger.
reportOct 16, 2014

Middle Easterners See Religious and Ethnic Hatred as Top Global Threat

Publics across the globe see the threat of religious and ethnic violence as a growing threat to the world’s future, with concern especially strong in the Middle East.
reportOct 6, 2014

Public Divided Over Whether Secret Service Lapses Signal ‘Broader Problems’

Survey Report Following a White House security breach and reports of other Secret Service problems, roughly equal shares of the public think the recent issues are mainly isolated incidents (42%) as think they are signs of broader problems with the agency (43%). The new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Oct. 2-5 among […]
short readsSep 17, 2014

Young Americans divided over striking ISIS

Majorities of Republicans and Democrats approve of President Obama’s military plan against ISIS, but one group is not quite on board: younger people.
reportSep 15, 2014

Bipartisan Support for Obama’s Military Campaign Against ISIS

In a rare display of bipartisanship, majorities of both Republicans (64%) and Democrats (60%) approve of President Obama’s plan for a military campaign against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.
reportSep 10, 2014

Growing Concern about Rise of Islamic Extremism at Home and Abroad

Survey Report As President Obama prepares to address the nation about the militant group ISIS, the public has become more worried about Islamic extremism. Six-in-ten (62%) are very concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism around the world, which is the largest share dating back to 2007. A somewhat smaller majority (53%) is very concerned […]
short readsSep 10, 2014

Indians among most likely in the world to see extremist groups as ‘major threat’

A 2013 poll we conducted showed that globally Indians are among the most likely to say that Islamic extremist groups pose a “major threat” to their country.
short readsSep 5, 2014

Journal Study: Half of government-rebel power-sharing agreements fail

Power-sharing agreements aimed at resolving conflicts within countries between governments and insurgent groups have a mixed record of success, according to a new study.
short readsAug 29, 2014

Russian poll: Putin faces limited opposition from his public on Ukraine

Despite criticism from the West on his actions in the Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin faces far fewer questions from a public that draws a distinction between support for separatist rebels and having a direct role in the continued violence in eastern Ukraine.
reportAug 28, 2014

As New Dangers Loom, More Think the U.S. Does ‘Too Little’ to Solve World Problems

Survey Report A large majority of Americans think the world is a more dangerous place than it was several years ago. And a terrorist group that was not even on the public’s radar a year ago – the Islamic militants known as ISIS or ISIL – today ranks near the top of its list of […]