Good Afternoon,

Earlier today Emily K. and Sarah S. attended the Cato Institute’s The Clash of Generations?
Intergenerational Changes and American Foreign Policy Views

The Clash of Generations? Intergenerational Changes and American Foreign Policy Views
Cato Institute
June 15, 2018

Speakers:
 Trevor Thrall (Associate Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason
University)
 Dina Smeltz (Senior Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs)
 Will Ruger (Vice President for Research and Policy, Charles Koch Institute)
 Craig Kafura (Research Associate, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global
Affairs) - Not in Attendance
Moderator: Erik Geopner (Visiting Research Fellow, Defense and Foreign Policy, The Cato Institute)

Notes:
 According to Smeltz, younger generations are less likely to favor the use of force, for example to
fight violent Islamic extremist groups, than older generations.
o They explained that Millennials support more diplomacy as well as less aggressive
approaches and prefer less militarized foreign policy.
 Ruger said that it is the responsibility of realists and restrained to explain the benefits and
agreements for restraint. Similarly, those who favor deep engagement need to advocate so
Americans continue to remain involved.
 Thralls hypothesis behind the data may be due to four things, age, periods of affect, social and
demographic changes, and cohort effect.
 Smeltz explained the American public is divided overall. Half support showing power through
military superiority, while others want to be peaceful to project the U.S. influence abroad.
 Of the Millennial generation, the largest generation, only 50% believe that the United States is
the greatest country.
o This is a considerable drop in percentage from the 77% of the Silent Generation
 Thrall explained the correlation between approval of the president and foreign policy or
economic policy. The correlation is twice as strong for foreign policy and approving the
president than economic policy and approving the president.

If you would like to see more of the research, Emily and Sarah have a copy of the research packet.

Best,
Sarah Snow and Emily Kader