High Public Confidence in the Military Is Dropping. Here’s How To Reverse This Dangerous Trend
Published 08/17/23 08:00 AM ET
Peter D. Feaver
The American public has a relatively high level of confidence in the U.S. military — especially compared to how the public views other governmental institutions. This remains true today even though public confidence in the military has dropped markedly in the last few years, hitting the lowest point in two decades at 60%. Confidence in other institutions has dropped at the same time, in some cases by even greater margins.
Yet, the military should not be complacent about its relative status because confidence in the military is high — but hollow. The pillars undergirding the public’s confidence are eroding. And it is propped up by a peer pressure effect that could drop dramatically. If recent trend lines continue, we will likely see a marked further erosion in public confidence as well. Civilian and military leaders alike need to be alert to this issue and take steps to shore up public confidence before it’s too late.
So, what can explain the decline in public confidence, especially among Americans? As a civil-military relations scholar, I have researched what drives public trust in the military (including in my latest book, Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the Military) and where the faults lie in maintaining such faith in the armed forces.Essentially, there are six core pillars on which public opinion rests, each of which are deteriorating.
https://themessenger.com/opinion/high-public-confidence-in-the-military-is-dropping-heres-how-to-reverse-this-dangerous-trend
