National Security
Many of our core national security policies (e.g., nuclear deterrence) have very long (decadal) planning horizons, but the policy environment is very volatile. In this highly charged and uncertain environment, significant swings in public attention/opinion can generate pressure for significant policy shifts and generate program volatility. This makes it imperative to understand, anticipate, and address potential swings.
IPPRA builds and maintains datasets and tools that help us track and anticipate significant swings in public attention to and support for national and nuclear security policies. Some of the core programs under this portfolio have been active for three decades. Our National Security (NS) survey series began in 1993, looking at the evolution of public preferences about multiple dimensions of security, such as nuclear weapons, nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and terrorism.
Since beginning this research, we have collected data from both the public and experts using focus groups, interviews, and surveys, resulting in more than 70,000 participants from 16 countries.
