FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2008

Survey Reveals Voters Wary of Foreign Government Investment

New York — (February 21, 2008) — A majority of American voters think investment by foreign governments in U.S. companies harms U.S. national security interests, and nearly half believe such investments harm the American economy, according to a new survey of the attitudes of U.S. voters toward sovereign-wealth funds.

The survey, conducted by Public Strategies, Inc., reveals that American voters are especially wary of U.S. investment by governments in the Middle East, Russia and China.

"American voters are drawing these conclusions in a vacuum," said Dan Bartlett, a senior strategist with Public Strategies. "They are not informed on this issue but their initial reaction is negative."

"Consider the major issues dominating public debate today: the economy and jobs going overseas, our dependence on foreign oil, immigration, and Iraq. Americans are becoming increasingly isolationist in their thinking regarding these issues. Their attitude toward sovereign-wealth funds investing in U.S. companies reflects that trend."

The poll, of 1,000 registered voters nationwide, finds that 55% of those questioned think sovereign-wealth fund investments will hurt national security, and 49% said the investments will have a negative effect on the U.S. economy.

Among the survey's other key findings:

• Nearly three in four voters — 72% — believe foreign governments don't reveal enough about their investment portfolios.
• Nearly as many, 68%, think that allowing foreign government investment in U.S. companies gives foreign governments too much control over the U.S. marketplace.
• Solid majorities of American voters particularly oppose government investment from Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia (68% oppose), Abu Dhabi (62%), and Kuwait (59%).
• A majority of American voters also oppose investment by China, one of the world's fastest-growing economies (65% oppose), as well as the governments of Russia (61%), and Hong Kong (51%).

In addition, majorities of American voters oppose foreign governments investing in a wide range of U.S. industries, including high-tech, financial services firms, oil and gas companies and port facilities. And a majority of voters — 56% — have a negative view of recent investments by the governments of Singapore, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi in Citigroup. Only 8% view the investment favorably; 24% have no opinion. The poll also finds that 43% of all voters think globalization will have a negative effect on them personally.

There has been an increase in attention paid to sovereign-wealth funds, particularly after Abu Dhabi's government invested in Citigroup and this week's announcement that the Qatar Investment Authority bought a 1 to 2 percent stake in Credit Suisse. Calls for greater transparency from sovereign-wealth funds came from U.S. and European officials at last month's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Last week, Congress held hearings on the subject as rules over how the funds operate in the U.S. are debated.

"If there is a bright side for these funds it is that Americans know very little about them," Bartlett added. "They have a steep hill to climb but still have an opportunity to educate the public about their value."

How The Poll Was Conducted:
Public Strategies, Inc., conducted an online survey of 1,000 registered voters in the U.S. The sample was weighted by race and education to ensure it would accurately represent the U.S. voting population. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

To review the survey results visit www.pstrategies.com.

Public Strategies, Inc.
Public Strategies, Inc. is a business advisory firm that serves a diverse clientele including some of the world's largest and best-known corporations, nonprofit organizations, associations and professional firms. Much of its practice involves managing high-stakes campaigns for corporate clients anticipating and responding to crises. It helps forwardthinking companies assess public opinion and risk, and develops strategies for managing uncertainty.

Contact:
Public Strategies, Inc.
Elie Jacobs
212-471-1243
646-330-2585
ejacobs@pstrategies.com

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Read the Survey Results (PDF)
Read the Wall Street Journal Article