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The Week in Germany: Current Affairs

September 14, 2007

Transatlantic Trends Survey Shows that Americans and Europeans Share Concerns About Energy and Terrorism

The latest annual Transatlantic Trends survey conducted by the German Marshall Fund has found that Americans and Europeans share concerns on energy and terrorism, as well as worries about Russia and China, but remain divided on the use of force in Iran and Afghanistan.

Conducted by polling citizens on both sides of the Atlantic and released on Sept. 6, the survey also suggests that, "despite new leaders in Great Britain, France, and Germany pledging to work with the United States, public expectations for a renewed transatlantic partnership continue to lag behind leaders' rhetoric," the German Marshall Fund said in a statement.

"Gordon Brown in the UK, Nicolas Sarkozy in France, and Angela Merkel in Germany have all pledged to improve ties to the United States, and many observers see the 2008 U.S. presidential election as a chance for a renewed relationship between the United States and Europe," the GMF added.

Transatlantic Trends 2007 (http://www.transatlantictrends.org/) suggests that regardless of who is elected in 2008, more than a third of Europeans (35%) feel that relations will improve, while 46% believe relations will remain the same. In the United States, more Americans feel relations will improve after the 2008 elections (42%), compared with 37% who feel relations will stay the same regardless of who is elected. There is, however, a significant difference in opinion among Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. More Democrats (58%) feel relations will improve with a new president, compared with only 26% of Republicans. A majority of Republicans (54%) feel that relations will remain the same.

"As we look ahead to 2008, it will take more than changes in leadership to mend past rifts," said Craig Kennedy, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. "Greater openness and a willingness to work together across the Atlantic will be needed as the world continues to struggle with an increase in global threats."

Transatlantic Trends 2007 is a project of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Compagnia di San Paolo in Turin, Italy, with additional support from the Fundação Luso-Americana (Portugal), the Fundación BBVA (Spain), and the Tipping Point Foundation (Bulgaria). It measures broad public opinion in the United States and 12 European countries and gauges transatlantic relations. For the sixth consecutive year, participants were asked their views on each other and on global threats, foreign policy objectives, world leadership, and multilateral institutions.

Links:

The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Transatlantic Trends Survey 2007

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