The Week in Charts

Welcome to The Week in Charts, where we break down Gallup's latest insights on our constantly evolving world. Here are the five insights you shouldn't miss this week:

1. Japan's Hawkish Stance Intensifies

Bar Chart: American and Japanese views on potential military conflict in Taiwan in 2022.

As the geopolitical waters continue to shift across Asia, we've been keeping our eye on how Japan's military and security posture have changed. In one of our longest-running partnerships, with Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun, we asked Americans and the Japanese public about their views on potential conflict in Taiwan. Six in 10 Japanese adults are certain that China will invade the island at some point.

2. Democrats Claim the L Word

Line Chart: 54% of Democrats described their political ideology as

In our long-standing political ideology trends, Democrats are warming up to the L word: Liberal identification among Democrats hit a new high in 2022. The word liberal, once shunned by progressives, has gained traction with 54% of Democrats. Back in 1994, only 25% of Dems identified as liberals.
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3. An Independent Spirit

Line Chart: 41% of Americans in 2022 said they consider themselves politically independent.

It's important to note that more Americans continue to identify as political independents than as either Democrats or Republicans. At a time when so much of our public narrative focuses on the partisan tussles on Capitol Hill and beyond, it's always good to keep in mind that independents are the largest — but perhaps not the loudest — chunk of the American public.
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4. Corporate Play-by-Play Commentary

Bar Chart: 48% of U.S. adults say businesses should take a public stance on current events.

We've all gotten them — the boilerplate email from every shop we've patronized, with their latest stand on the social issue of the day. But should corporations take a public stance on current events? We explored that issue in our latest research with Bentley University and found that Americans are rather split on the question.
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5. Czechs Warmer to EU, Ice Cold on Russia

Bar Chart: 49% of Czechs approve of EU leadership, and 5% approve of Russian leadership.

Ahead of the first round of the presidential election in the Czech Republic last weekend, the public was more positive toward the EU than it's ever been. At the same time, Czechs' approval of Russia's leadership was lower than we've ever captured.
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And that's The Week in Charts!

Mohamed Younis
Editor-in-Chief
Gallup

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