Shock poll: General public, elites have different views on foreign policy

The disparity was actually quite large. For example, 83 percent and 81 percent of CFR members approved of Obama’s handling of Iraq and Guantánamo, respectively, whereas the general public gave approval ratings of 41 and 39 percent on those issues.

Obama’s work on Iran, climate change, terrorism, and China were all rated in the 70s by the experts, dozens of points higher than when rated by people without a full-time job in foreign affairs. Only 33 percent of the ordinary Americans surveyed praised Obama’s work related to the rise of China.