The Berlin Pulse - German Foreign Policy 2019

The study on German foreign policy, part of the annual “The Berlin Pulse” series, was conducted by Kantar on behalf of the Körber Foundation. During the survey period from September 9, 2019, to September 28, 2019, eligible voters in Germany were interviewed by telephone (CATI) on the following topics: the greatest challenges for German foreign policy, the most important partnerships for Germany, Germany´s role in the EU, transatlantic relations, China´s growing influence, and the challenges associated with this. Respondents were selected using a multi-stage random sample including landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample). Germany should become more involved in international crises vs. should continue to remain rather reserved; current major challenges for German foreign policy (open question, coded answers, max. three responses); most important and second most important partner country for German foreign policy; importance of selected countries for German foreign policy in terms of more or less cooperation with these countries (France, Great Britain, Russia, China, USA, Poland, Italy, Turkey, Japan); assessment of the current security situation in Germany; assessment of current relations between Germany and the USA; Germany should increase, decrease, or maintain its defense spending at the current level; importance of US military bases on German soil for Germany´s national security; opinion on the US nuclear umbrella (Germany should continue to rely on the US nuclear umbrella in the future, should seek nuclear protection from France and the UK, should develop its own nuclear weapons, or should renounce nuclear protection); advocacy for greater security policy independence from the US; more important for Germany: close relations with the US, close relations with Russia, equally close relations with both; assessment of the impact of a possible re-election of Donald Trump on relations between Germany and the US; EU: responsibility for the threat to cohesion in the EU (the EU itself, populist governments in the member states, both the EU and populist governments, Brexit/Great Britain, countries outside the EU (e.g., the US, Russia), Germany´s refugee policy, Germany, the selfishness of EU member states, individual member states/populism there, the refugee issue, other factors); politician who has done more for the future of the European Union (Angela Merkel or Emmanuel Macron); support for majority decisions on EU foreign policy; call for greater concessions from the EU towards the UK in the Brexit negotiations; assessment of China´s growing global influence; assessment of the Chinese state model; more important for Germany: close relations with the US, close relations with China, or equally close relations with both; Germany and Europe should pursue a tougher industrial and trade policy towards China together with the US; Germany should stand up more strongly for its political interests towards China, even if this harms German economic interests; likelihood of the existing conflict between China and the US escalating into a cold war; Germany should participate in military missions to protect open sea and trade routes; Germany as a pioneer or a brake on climate protection issues within the EU; opinion on Germany´s membership in the Western camp (support Germany´s membership in the Western community of states and values, would prefer Germany to take a neutral stance in foreign policy, Germany should move closer to Russia/move closer to China/move closer to other countries and communities of values); voting behavior in the last federal election or did not participate in the election. Demography: Sex; age; education; household size; respondent themselves or their parents or grandparents immigrated to Germany after 1949. The following were also coded: Respondent ID; federal state; western/eastern region; political municipality size category; weighting factor.