What do Americans really think about US foreign policy?
November 18, 2011
Efren Lopez, U.S. Air Force
Article Highlights
- A majority of Americans believe US should take military action in countries where terrorists are hiding
- 76% of Americans say the US should focus on fixing problems at home and building national prosperity
- POLL: Military remains most respected institution in American life
At the GOP debate on national security and foreign policy Nov. 22, the Republican candidates will weigh in on such hot-button topics as Iran, Iraq, China, and Israel. At the root of their remarks lies an answer to a single question: What role should America play in the world? It's a question the American people themselves have wrestled with for decades. We at AEI do not believe that polls should be used to make policy. They are too crude for that purpose. Still, it is important to know what Americans are thinking and how those attitudes have changed over time. Below we review polls that illustrate some of Americans' values about foreign policy.
One of the most powerful themes in polls about foreign policy is our reluctant internationalism. As the trends below show, Americans know the United States must play a global role, but we also want to concentrate on problems at home.
Q: Do you think it will be best for the future of this country if we take an active part in world affairs, or if we stay out of world affairs? (NORC, Chicago Council)
| Active part | Stay out | |
| 1947 | 68% | 25% |
| 1974 | 66 | 24 |
| 1986 | 64 | 27 |
| 1998 | 61 | 28 |
| 2010 | 67 | 31 |
Q: Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. We should not think so much in international terms but concentrate more on our national problems and building up our strength and prosperity here at home. (Gallup, Times Mirror, Pew)
| Agree | Disagree | |
| 1976 | 73% | 22% |
| 1985 | 60 | 34 |
| 1995 | 78 | 18 |
| 2005 | 71 | 23 |
| 2011 | 76 | 21 |
Positive views about the military have risen substantially, and today, the military is the most respected institution in American life. Americans are not eager to cut funds for the military nor are they eager to expand them. A new question from the bipartisan Battleground poll shows that 82 percent of Americans would oppose "cutting spending on defense programs, including programs for soldiers and veterans."
Q: Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one. (Gallup)
| Great deal/quite a lot of confidence in the military | |
| 1975 | 58% |
| 1985 | 61 |
| 1995 | 64 |
| 2005 | 74 |
| 2011 | 78 |
Q: Below is a list of present federal government programs. For each, please select whether you feel it should be expanded, cut back or kept about the same. (Chicago Council)
Defense spending
| Expand | Cut back | Kept same | |
| 1974 | 14% | 42% | 38% |
| 1986 | 22 | 34 | 39 |
| 1994 | 21 | 34 | 41 |
| 2004 | 37 | 13 | 46 |
| 2010 | 30 | 27 | 43 |
Historically, Americans have expressed doubts about building democracy abroad. They believe the world would be safer with more democracies, but perhaps aren't confident that we know enough about how to do this.
Q: Below is a list of possible foreign policy goals that the United States might have. For each one please select whether you think that it should be a . . . (Chicago Council)
Very important foreign policy goal -- helping to bring a democratic form of government to other nations
| 1974 | 28% |
| 1986 | 30 |
| 1994 | 25 |
| 2004 | 14 |
| 2010 | 19 |
Q: Should the United States try to change a dictatorship to a democracy where it can, or should the United States stay out of other country's affairs? (CBS)
| National response | Response of Republicans | |
| Try to change | 15% | 16% |
| Stay out | 70 | 72 |
American attitudes about terrorism have been tough and assertive. Republicans have been even more so.
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the United States taking military action in countries where it believes terrorists are hiding? (CBS)
| National response | Response of Republicans | |
| Approve of U.S. taking military action in countries where it believes terrorists are hiding | 65% | 75% |
Q: Do you think it is something justified to use water boarding and other aggressive interrogation tactics to get information from a suspected terrorist, or are these tactics never justified? (CBS)
Q: As you may know, for the past several years the United States has been holding a number of suspected terrorists at a US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Based on what you have heard or read, do you think the US should continue to operate the prison at Guantanamo Bay, or do you think the US should close the prison and transfer the prisoners somewhere else? (CBS)
| National response | Response of Republicans | |
| Water boarding sometimes justified | 45% | 70% |
| Should continue to operate Guantanamo | 52% | 76% |
Americans are always reluctant to put troops in harms' way.
Very important foreign policy goal -- Protecting weaker nations against foreign aggression (Chicago Council)
| 1974 | 28% |
| 1986 | 32 |
| 1994 | 24 |
| 2004 | 18 |
| 2010 | 24 |
| National response | Response of Republicans | |
| U.S. military should use force where civilians are under attack by their own government | 39% | 41% |
| Should not (CBS) | 39 | 42 |
| War with Iraq was worth the loss of Americans lives (CBS) | 24 | 42 |
| Approve of removing nearly all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011 (CBS) | 77 | 63 |
| War in Afghanistan is going very or somewhat well (CBS) | 48 | 53 |
| U.S. did the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan (CBS) | 36 | 48 |
| In Afghanistan, US should Increase troops |
8 | 10 |
| Decrease | 58 | 47 |
| Keep same (CBS) | 27 | 36 |
Throughout the Cold War, Americans consistently told pollsters they wanted their leaders to engage the Soviets. They valued talk. That is the case today, too.
| Iran is a threat and requires military action now (CBS) | 15% | 22% |
| Can be contained with diplomacy | 55 | 52 |
| Not a threat now | 17 | 17 |
| North Korea’s development of weapons is a threat to the U.S. that requires military action now (CBS) |
16% | 17% |
| Can be contained for now | 65 | 63 |
| Not a threat | 12 | 15 |
All CBS data are from an early November 2011 poll. For any questions about this compilation, please contact Karlyn Bowman (202-862-5910) or Andrew Rugg (202-862-5917) at AEI.
