Laura Silver

They tend to be more left-leaning, more progressive in their social and political views, more receptive to immigrants and more favorable toward the European Union. They are also more mixed in their views of traditional center-left parties than older Western Europeans.

A median of 23% in eight key countries in Western Europe name immigration as one of the top two problems facing their country.

Most in the region feel positively about the role the internet plays in their countries, but long-standing digital divides between internet haves and have-nots persist.

Donald Trump’s international image remains poor, and ratings for the U.S. have declined since his election. Yet most people around the world still want the U.S., not China, as the world's leading power.

Explore our new interactive feature to learn more about what traditional and populist party support looks like in Western Europe.

Americans and Western Europeans have broadly similar views on certain social and political issues. For example, majorities of Americans and Western Europeans see immigrants as beneficial to their economies and support certain rights for gays and lesbians.

Regardless of populist sentiments, people in Western Europe tend to favor parties that reflect their own ideological orientation. With regard to policy, too, ideology continues to matter.

Here are some key facts about how supporters of Italy's populist Five Star Movement and League parties stand out from the rest of the Italian public.

Across eight Western European countries, people with populist leanings have more negative attitudes about the news media than do those with non-populist views.

A global median of 75% want their news media to be unbiased when covering political issues, yet many say the news media do a poor job of reporting on political issues fairly.