South Koreans and Americans Remain Committed to Alliance, but Views Differ on North Korea and on Use of Force
A new binational survey of South Korean and American public opinion on foreign policy finds that despite some differences in their views of North Korea and the use of force, Americans and South Koreans overall have common views of global security and economic issues. They share a preference for multilateralism and show continued commitment to their military alliance.
This Global Views 2004 survey is the result of a new binational partnership between The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (CCFR) and the East Asia Institute in South Korea. The survey finds that international terrorism and nuclear proliferation are top threats in both countries. Americans and South Koreans both support U.S. military action against North Korea if it continues to develop nuclear weapons as long as the UN, allies, and South Korea approve. Both publics reject preventive war by a country on its own and agree that the United States should be more willing to make decisions within the UN and should not play the role of world policeman.
South Koreans are concerned about U.S. unilateralism, but still view the United States as its preferred partner and prefer to keep U.S. troop levels in South Korea the same. Americans favor having U.S. military bases in South Korea and using U.S. troops in a UN-sponsored action to defend South Korea against an attack from the North, but prefer to decrease the number of troops stationed there.
-- Sixty-one percent of South Koreans and 75% of Americans view
-- Eighty-two percent of South Koreans and 68% of Americans believe it
-- Eighty percent of South Koreans and 79% of Americans say that if North
-- However, 76% of South Koreans believe that the North Korean nuclear
-- South Koreans do not view North Korea nearly as coldly as Americans do.
-- Fifty percent of South Koreans view U.S. unilateralism as a critical
-- Nevertheless, 78% of South Koreans say that the United States has a
-- Sixty-four percent of Americans favor contributing U.S. troops together
-- Sixty-two percent of Americans support the United States having long-
-- Neither South Koreans nor Americans seem concerned about the proposed
-- Eighty-five percent of South Koreans and 66% of Americans agree that
-- Sixty-four percent of South Koreans think that countries on their own
-- Sixty percent of South Koreans say the United States should never use
-- Eighty-one percent of South Koreans and 64% of Americans say
-- Seventy-two percent of South Koreans think the United States practices
The East Asia Institute commissioned Media Research of Seoul, South Korea, to collect data for this survey in South Korea. Media Research conducted face- to-face interviews, each lasting approximately 30 minutes, with a representative sample of 1,000 men and women 20 years or older. All fieldwork for the survey was conducted between July 5 and July 16, 2004. Based on the total sample in South Korea, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
U.S. Survey In 2004, for the first time, The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations conducted its opinion survey of the general public through the Internet. Knowledge Networks, Inc. (KN) administered the survey between July 6 and July 12 to 1,195 American adults using its nationwide panel, which is randomly ed from the entire adult population and subsequently provided Internet access. Respondents answer questions on screens in their own homes. The margin of sampling error is approximately 3 percentage points.
Sponsoring Organizations The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to building global awareness in Chicago and the Midwest and contributing to national and international discourse on the great issues of our time. We accomplish this mission through: public programs for members and diverse constituencies; leadership dialogue drawing on business, the professions, government, academia, the media, and civic life; national and international conferences, studies, and exchanges. Founded in 1922, The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations is supported by its members and other individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Chicago Council is one of the nation's most active centers fostering public understanding of world affairs and making local-global connections.
The East Asia Institute (EAI) strives to transform East Asia into a community of nations based on liberal democracy, market economy, open society, and peace. Toward this end, the EAI works to propagate diversity, tolerance, accountability, and transparency through its research, education campaigns, international exchanges, and civic activism. Founded in May 2002 on the initiative of former Prime Minister Lee Hong-Koo, Chairman Hong Seok-Hyun of Joongang Daily Newspaper, and Dr. Kim Byung-Kook of Korea University, the EAI has been building a wide variety of substantive networks among scholars and public institutions as well as among experts and NGOs. The EAI also houses the editorial board of the Journal of East Asian Studies. |