DIRECTOR
DESCRIPTION
Transatlantic Trends has looked for the fourth year running at the opinions held by Europeans and Americans on key international issues. Respondents in the United States and 10 European countries (11,000 in all) were asked for their views on international threats, international leadership, multilateral organisations and the European Union.
This latest Transatlantic Trends poll shows that European attitudes towards the United States have changed little in the past year. As in 2004, Europeans would like the European Union to act more independently of the United States in questions of security and world affairs, while Americans are keen to tighten links with the European Union.
This divergence is also apparent in the way they see each other, with Europeans expressing less favourable views on the United States than Americans on some of the main European countries. However, public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic supports the promotion of democracy as a prime objective of foreign policy, suggesting this could be a fertile area for transatlantic cooperation.