What does PIPA mean in UNCLASSIFIED

History

The Program on International Policy Attitudes was established in 2003 at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. It grew out of decades of polling data gathered for foreign policy research purposes. At the time of its founding it was much needed because there had not been reliable data regarding public opinion on international issues since the end of the Cold War. The first studies conducted by PIPA focused primarily on U.S. attitudes towards aspects of foreign policy including support for allies such as France during the Iraq War and other Middle East conflicts. Since its founding, PIPA has grown to become an internationally respected source of insight into public opinion regarding global issues such as war and peace, security agreements like NATO, nuclear proliferation, economic agreements such as NAFTA and environmental treaties like the Paris Agreement among many others. Its surveys have included polls from countries around the globe including Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific nations and African nations providing valuable insights into global perspectives about global affairs from multiple regions around the world.

Methodology

PIPA conducts survey research using online panel companies that provide access to large pools of people from all over the world who are willing to participate in their surveys. These surveys employ a range of question types from standard closed-ended questions (yes/no or agree/disagree) to more complex open-ended questions asking respondents why they think or feel certain ways about particular topics. They also often use “forced choice” questions which require respondents to choose between two options regardless if they don't entirely agree with either one so that researchers can get more precise data from participants’ responses which can then be more clearly analyzed when interpreting results from a survey.

Findings

The findings from PIPA's research activities produce unique insights into how people around the world feel about different topics related to international relations and global affairs than what traditional media outlets typically report on or even cover in depth. As an example; In 2017 PIPA surveyed Americans’ knowledge about NATO military agreement and found that only 28% were able to accurately describe what NATO does - however 75% expressed support for US involvement with NATO after being given a brief explanation about its purpose indicating there was significant misunderstanding about it overall but strong support once they understood what it did.