ECFR launches new public opinion data hub on foreign policy insights

Berlin – The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) today launched its new data platform, an open-access repository designed to unlock the wealth of information from ECFR’s public opinion polls. This initiative provides researchers, policymakers, and the public with unprecedented access to data addressing pressing foreign policy questions. 

The new platform, named Perspectives turns data into stories, offers two primary ways to explore the data.

• Users can compare responses to specific questions across different polled countries, both within and beyond Europe.
• Additionally, the platform allows for detailed national breakdowns of each question by age, gender, education, and political preference, providing nuanced insights into public sentiment.

For example, in a fresh analysis ECFR senior policy fellow Pawel Zerka leverages this very data to reveal fascinating and sometimes challenging perceptions of the EU from outside Europe. 

The initial dataset available on the platform is based on comprehensive public opinion polls conducted in November-December 2024 across 16 European countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom) and eight non-European countries (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States).

This data originally appeared in the ECFR reports Alone in a Trumpian world: The EU and global public opinion after the US elections and Transatlantic twilight: European public opinion and the long shadow of Trump. 

The polls were conducted by reputable organizations including DataPraxis, YouGov, Norstat, Rating Group, and Gallup International Association. The methodology, including details on pollsters involved in specific countries, polling dates, sample sizes, and representativeness, is available on the platform. 

ECFR is committed to expanding this resource, with data from future polls set to be uploaded in the coming months and years, continuously enriching the platform’s offerings. 

“Our public opinion polls generate a vast amount of valuable data, and we believe there’s immense potential for further exploration. This data platform is a direct response to that, offering a user-friendly way to delve into these findings and discover new insights,” said Gosia Piaskowska and Pawel Zerka, who spearheaded the research and analysis for this initiative. 

You can access the platform here.