RCP Poll: How a Divided U.S. Views Its Armed Forces and Their Role
(Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)
RealClear Opinion Research is a service of Real Clear Media Group. It employs rigorous survey methods, polling, social media analytics, and proprietary technology to measure and interpret public sentiment, providing actionable insights into public opinion trends.
By Carl M. Cannon , RCP Staff September 30, 2021
Presidents and policymakers in Washington place tremendous demands on the nation’s all-volunteer military, whether it’s a U.S. Navy carrier group providing tsunami relief on the far side of the Pacific Ocean or special forces units on horseback hunting terrorists in the Hindu Kush. According to a new RealClear Opinion Research poll, Americans support the entire array of these military undertakings — and, for the most part, trust the men and women in uniform to carry them out.
This confidence spans the political spectrum, which is reassuring in a political environment so polarized that war itself is now evaluated through a partisan prism. Asked their views about missions ranging from protecting human rights abroad to defending Taiwan against an invasion from China, significant majorities of registered voters expressed support for all of them.
Highest on the list at (82%) was using the military to protect human rights “like the rights of women, children, religious or ethnic minorities.” Responding to natural disasters was tied for second place at 76% with the more traditional military duty of “curbing aggression” by U.S. adversaries.
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