Zsolt Nyiri
Zsolt Nyiri, Ph.D. joined the German Marshall Fund in 2009 as the director of Transatlantic Trends, a comprehensive annual survey of American and European public opinion since 2002. Between 2005 and 2009, he was the research director for Europe for the Gallup World Poll, the largest multinational survey ever conducted. Prior to joining Gallup, he was a lecturer at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Nyiri is a political scientist and polling expert who has been responsible for the design, implementation, supervision, and analysis of surveys in more than 30 European countries and the United States. His current interests are in transatlantic security, European immigration and integration, global governance, and the relationship between public opinion and public policymaking. Dr. Nyiri has developed innovative methodologies for polling hard-to-reach Muslim populations in Europe in the aftermath of the London bombings of 2005. He was also involved in the development of Gallup's Daily Poll and Balkan Monitor and reported on several Flash Eurobarometer surveys conducted for the European Commission. From 2006 to 2007, he was a part of a five-member high-level expert panel for the European Science Foundation's office of European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST).
Dr. Nyiri has published research on European politics, integration, and governance in books and refereed journals, including Political Research Quarterly, Harvard International Review, and Foreign Policy. He has been an invited speaker at various academic and policy conferences and has been regularly asked to brief policy makers and the media about his findings.
Education:
Dr. Nyiri received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut, an M.Phil. from the Central European University, an M.A. from the University of Budapest (ELTE), and an M.P.A. from Bowling Green State University.
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News Articles
Transatlantic Trends: Public Opinion and NATOMay 16, 2012While a transatlantic opinion gap still exists on certain security topics, Transatlantic Trends revealed notable shifts that brought public opinion in the U.S. and Europe closer on key security policies.
The Limits of a Popular American PresidentOctober 12, 2010The popularity of Barack Obama as a presidential candidate in 2008 rivaled rock stars in Western Europe. His election as president of the United States suggested that he would open a new chapter in the U.S.-European relationship. But Europeans' initial euphoria about the Obama presidency, reflected in early polling data and his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, was a product of his inspirational rhetoric and spoke more for the hope they put in him rather than for any real achievements.Transatlantic Trends 2010: Obama more popular than his policiesSeptember 13, 2010Transatlantic Trends 2010 shows that, while 78% of those surveyed in 11 European Union countries approve of Barack Obama’s foreign policies, just 49% approve of how he has dealt with Afghanistan and Iran. Survey findings also address the rise of Asia, transatlantic security rifts, the economic crisis, and a drifting Turkey.Controlling the Human TideJanuary 18, 2010When the Lisbon Treaty entered into force on December 1, the European Union took a large step toward establishing a common immigration policy. This is the dream – or the nightmare, depending on whom you ask – of many leaders in Europe.Publications
Transatlantic Trends: Public Opinion and NATOMay 17, 2012This policy brief examines U.S. and European opinions on NATO.
Transatlantic Trends 2011September 14, 2011The 2011 edition of Transatlantic Trends paints a picture of a complex relationship between the United States and Europe and how they respond to global challenges....
Corruption and confidence in public institutions: evidence from a global surveyNovember 02, 2010Well-functioning institutions matter for economic development. In order to operate effectively, public institutions must also inspire confidence in those they serve. The authors use data from the Gallup World Poll, a unique and very large global household survey, to document a quantitatively large and statistically significant negative correlation between corruption and confidence in public institutions.
The Clash of PerceptionsApril 04, 2010There is an important disconnect between the attitudes toward social integration that most Europeans attribute to Muslims living in their countries, and the actual attitudes expressed by European Muslims themselves. Public opinion data reveal that the opinions of Muslims living in London, Paris, and Berlin are generally similar to those of the broader British, French, and German publics on such issues as religious tolerance and willingness to coexist with those of different ethnicities or faiths.
