International Affairs

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.

Attitudes toward Russia and Vladimir Putin turned much more negative, while opinions of NATO grew more positive.

Belgium, Finland and Italy are among the European countries with the shortest median lengths of government.

More Americans say their country’s influence in the world has been getting weaker rather than stronger in recent years (47% vs. 19%).

Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but they also say it informs and raises awareness.

People in advanced and emerging economies have mixed feelings about social media’s impact on political life.

Our study analyzes 198 countries and territories and is based on policies and events in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available.

Nearly a quarter of countries used force to prevent religious gatherings during the pandemic; other government restrictions and social hostilities related to religion remained fairly stable.