The American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke, both founded in 1952 to strengthen German-American relations, recently commissioned a survey to examine public perceptions of the transatlantic relationship and current challenges for Europe and the United States. The survey was released at their joint conference in Washington, DC, on May 7, 2018. YouGov conducted the surveys simultaneously in Germany and the United States from April 4 to April 15 using two online surveys with respondents (United States: n=2,229 and Germany: n=2,000) recruited from the YouGov panel.

Key findings of the survey include:

The majority of Germans and Americans believe in common Western values. However, about half of the respondents are convinced that the foundation of common values is eroding.

One in five Germans does not think that Europe and the U.S. share the same values.

Germans and Americans agree that the key common challenges are the fight against terrorism and climate change.

One third of Americans are optimistic that a free trade agreement between Europe and the U.S. will be concluded under the Trump administration. Only 14% of Germans share this view.

Both Germans and Americans have a declining trust in democratic institutions. Only one in five is confident in these institutions, while one in three has little or no confidence.

Official relations between Washington and Berlin have cooled since the election of President Trump. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent visit to President Trump was described in SPIEGEL magazine as “not so bad” – an indication of how low expectations were. But how do Germans and Americans view relations between their countries? Do they feel connected? Do they perceive opportunities and challenges in a similar way?

Below are 10 key takeaways from the survey. Detailed results may be found in the links to the report provided at the end of this section.