The Use and Abuse of Foreign Policy Public Opinion Polling

The changes in opinion that Saletan is investing with so much importance appear to have no effect when it comes to making policy.

Public opinion matters in foreign policy, but its role can be easily misunderstood and analysts can overstate the significance of shifts in public opinion or misinterpret what those shifts mean. In the last week, I have read two pieces of analysis that cite evidence of changing opinions among Republicans and Democrats about Russia and NATO, and the auth…