The Berlin Pulse - German Foreign Policy 2017

The study on German foreign policy, part of the annual “The Berlin Pulse” series, was conducted by Kantar Public on behalf of the Körber Foundation. During the survey period from October 4, 2017, to October 18, 2017, the eligible voting population in Germany aged 18 and over was interviewed by telephone (CATI) on topics including the greatest challenges for German foreign policy, the most important partnerships for Germany, Germany´s role in the EU, Germany´s involvement in international crises, Europe, and transatlantic relations. Respondents were selected using a multi-stage random sample including landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample). nterest in German foreign policy; Germany should become more involved in international crises vs. should continue to remain rather reserved; current greatest challenges for German foreign policy (open question, coded answers, max. three responses); importance of German involvement in various areas (global protection of human rights, ensuring the security of Germany and its allies and combating terrorism, improving living conditions in developing countries, protecting the environment and climate, protecting Germany´s economic interests abroad, supporting other countries in introducing democratic forms of government, controlling and curbing illegal immigration to Germany); most important and second most important partner country for German foreign policy (open question, coded answers); Germany´s role in the EU (Germany is too dominant within the EU and does not compromise enough, Germany compromises to the right extent within the EU and asserts its interests appropriately, Germany should be more dominant within the EU and assert its interests more strongly); opinion on the state of the European Union (the EU and its member states are on the right track to overcome the current challenges); opinion on the impact of Brexit on the EU; Partnerships of particular importance to Germany with regard to the continued existence and further development of the EU (all EU member states, the founding European states of Italy, France, Benelux, and Germany, the France-Germany tandem, the Weimar Triangle of Poland, France, and Germany); support for French President Macron´s proposal for an EU finance minister; support for EU enlargement to include new member states (Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, and Albania); Germany should advocate within the EU for a break in accession negotiations with Turkey; opinion on the creation of a common European army; Germany should increase vs. decrease its defense spending; partnership that should take priority in Germany´s defense policy in the future (partnership with the US or with European countries); region in which Germany should be most involved in the future (the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia, equally in all regions); Germany´s most important partner in the Middle East (Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, none of the countries mentioned); conflicts in the Middle East in which Germany should be most actively involved in finding a solution (conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, conflict between Israel and Palestine, conflict in Syria, fight against Islamic State, none of the conflicts mentioned); awareness of the reasons for and objectives of the Bundeswehr mission in Mali; support for an upper limit on the number of refugees in Germany; EU support for African states in border protection despite known human rights violations in order to reduce migration from Africa; preferred German behavior toward Turkey within the framework of the EU refugee agreement due to tense relations (accommodating Turkey so as not to jeopardize the agreement, taking a hard line toward Turkey even if this jeopardizes the agreement); perception of Russia in international politics (constructive, destructive, both); more important for Germany: close relations with the US, close relations with Russia, equally close relations with both); assessment of current relations between Germany and the US; most important basis for relations between Germany and the US (economic and trade relations, shared values, cooperation in the field of security and defense); assessment of China´s growing global influence; sense of threat from North Korea´s missile tests despite the United Nations ban; assessment of the involvement of various countries and organizations in global problems (Russia, China, US, EU, United Nations, NATO); voting behavior in the last federal 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.