WorldPublicOpinion.org

WorldPublicOpinion.org is an international collaborative project whose aim is to give voice to public opinion around the world on international issues. As the world becomes increasingly integrated, problems have become increasingly global, pointing to a greater need for understanding between nations and for elucidating global norms. With the growth of democracy in the world, public opinion has come to play a greater role in the foreign policy process. WorldPublicOpinion.org seeks to reveal the values and views of publics in specific nations around the world as well as global patterns of world public opinion.

WorldPublicOpinion.org is managed by the Program for Public Consultation.

The WorldPublicOpinion.org Network

The WorldPublicOpinion.org network is a consortium of research centers studying public opinion on international issues in their respective countries. At present the network consists of research centers in more than 25 countries across all of the major continents. The network includes countries that represent the majority of the world population. In some countries there are two centers–one that conducts the polling and another that emphasizes policy analysis. For more complete information about each center including contact information please click here (PDF).

The WorldPublicOpinion.org Website

The WorldPublicOpinion.org website provides information and analysis about public opinion on international policy issues from around the world. While the studies of the WorldPublicOpinion.org network figure prominently, the website draws together data from a wide variety of sources from around the world. We have found that data from all reliable sources are important contributions and that as more studies are integrated into analyses, world public opinion comes into increasing focus.

Program for Public Consultation

The Program for Public Consultation (PPC) (formerly the Center on Policy Attitudes, or COPA, est. 1992) is part of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. PPC was established to develop the methods and theory of public consultation and to conduct public consultations. In particular it will work with government agencies to help them consult their citizens on key public policy issues that the government faces.

PPC’s express purpose is giving the public a greater voice in the public policy process. Its staff includes social scientists trained in various forms of research, especially survey research, as well as having broad background in public policy. While PPC’s polls over the years have explored a wide range of policy issues, a recurring theme it has explored has been about governance per se. Polling in the US and in other countries around the world has revealed a crisis of confidence in democratic countries arising from a lack of confidence that government policymakers are being responsive to the citizenry.

While developing its polls of the American public over the years, COPA sought to work with government policymakers to ensure that the polls are a meaningful way for government leaders to consult with their citizenry. With the establishment of the Program for Public Consultation, in conjunction with the School of Public Policy, is committing to developing and refining methods of public consultation and applying those methods, especially in direct collaboration with government agencies.

Staff

Steven Kull, a political psychologist, is director of the Program for Public Consultation (PPC), which manages WorldPublicOpinion.org, and Senior Research Scholar at the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), University of Maryland. Dr. Kull has played a central role in the BBC World Service global poll, and regularly gives briefings to the US Congress, the State Department, the UN, and the European Commission. He appears frequently in the international media and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He recently completed a four-year study of the Muslim public, summarized in his newest book Feeling Betrayed: The Roots of Muslim Anger at America (Brookings).

Evan Fehsenfeld is a Senior Research Associate at the Program for Public Consultation (PPC). His research interests have focused on international relations, political economy and the politics of land use management in Colorado and Maryland. He was a Harrison Fellow and has taught at both the University of Maryland and George Washington University. He received his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado and his Master’s degree at The American University.

Evan “Charles” Lewitus is a Research Analyst at the Program for Public Consultation (PPC). He received his Bachelor’s degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his Master’s degree from Wirtschaftsuniversität, Vienna, Austria.

Allison Stettler manages the worldpublicopinion.org website. She has extensive experience working with non-profit organizations in the areas of communications and information technology. Before joining WPO, she served as an information technology and graphic design consultant for several non-profit organizations in the greater Washington, DC region, and the Director of Marketing and Web Development for the Greater Washington Board of Trade. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech.

PPC Board of Advisors

Chairman, I.M. Destler, University of Maryland
Gloria Duffy, Commonwealth Club
Alton Frye, Council on Foreign Relations
Alan Kay, Americans Talk Issues Foundation
Catherine Kelleher, University of Maryland
Anthony Lake, Georgetown University
Benjamin Page, Northwestern University
Robert Shapiro, Columbia University
Frederick Steeper, Market Strategies

Supporters

WPO is made possible by the generous support of:

Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Tides Foundation
Ford Foundation
German Marshall Fund of the United States
Compton Foundation
Carnegie Corporation
Benton Foundation
Ben and Jerry’s Foundation
University of Maryland Foundation
Circle Foundation
JEHT Foundation
Stanley Foundation
Ploughshares Fund
Calvert Foundation
Secure World Foundation
Oak Foundation
United States Institute of Peace

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