Even in non-democracies, public attitudes matter. So what does the public think?
This project proceeds from the assumption that public attitudes can and should have an effect on public policy making both domestically and internationally. Since 1992, CISSM has conducted dozens of public opinion studies, on a broad range of international topics—many of them related to questions of security, trade, and international politics, more generally.
Some of these studies have been conducted in collaboration with the Program for Public Consultation (PPC), a School of Public Policy program that conducts surveys of public attitudes in the United States and in other countries using innovative methods such as policymaking simulations. Others have been conducted with the University of Tehran Center for Public Opinion Research and Iranpoll, a Toronto-based organization that fields surveys in Iran.