Foreign Affairs/Defense

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Priorities ] [ Abortion ] [ Budget/Taxes ] [ Crime ] [ Disasters ] [ Education ] [ Energy ] [ Environment ] [ Food ] [ Foreign Affairs/Defense ] [ Guns ] [ Health Policy ] [ Illegal Drugs ] [ Immigration ] [ Law/Civil Rights ] [ Politics ] [ Race/Ethnicity ] [ Social Security ]

Foreign Affairs and Defense Issues

Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.
						.
						.

Arms Control / Weapons of Mass Destruction / Missile Defense

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. April 9-11, 2010. N=1,008 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"How likely is it that the United States will become involved in a nuclear war in the next decade: very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, not at all likely?"
						.
		Very Likely	Somewhat Likely	Not Too Likely	Not at All Likely	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/9-11/10	12	26	29	32	1
						.
"How likely is it that the United States will be attacked by terrorists using nuclear weapons in the next decade: very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, not at all likely?"
						.
		Very Likely	Somewhat Likely	Not Too Likely	Not at All Likely
		%	%	%	%
	4/9-11/10	21	34	30	15
						.
"As a general goal, which of these two do you think is more desirable: the elimination of all nuclear arms in the world, or for a few major countries including the U.S. to have enough nuclear arms so no country would dare attack them?"
						.
		Elimination Of All Nuclear Arms	A Few Nuclear- Armed Countries	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/9-11/10	50	49	1
						.
"Do you agree or disagree that the total elimination of all nuclear weapons is possible?"
						.
		Agree	Disagree
		%	%
	4/9-11/10	25	74
						.
"As you may know, President Obama and the president of Russia recently signed a treaty to reduce the number of nuclear weapons of each country, but the treaty will not take effect until the U.S. Senate votes in favor of it. Do you think the U.S. Senate should or should not vote in favor of that treaty?" N=487 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5
						.
		Should	Should Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/9-11/10	70	28	2
						.
"Which is more important: reducing the number of nuclear weapons that are controlled by the governments of countries that are unfriendly to the U.S., or preventing terrorists from getting nuclear weapons?"
						.
		Reducing in Unfriendly Countries	Preventing Terrorism From Getting	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/9-11/10	11	77	11

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. April 7-11, 2010. N=1,032 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
"Threats in the world could include terrorists using conventional weapons, or using biological, chemical or nuclear weapons, or conflicts among nations with nuclear weapons. Thinking about these and other threats, where would you put the possibility that terrorists could obtain a nuclear weapon? Would you call it the single biggest threat the world faces, one of the biggest threats, a major threat but not one of the biggest ones, or less of a threat than that?"
						.
		Single Biggest	One of the Biggest	Major, Not One Of the Biggest	Less of a Threat	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/7-11/10	12	36	32	13	6
						.
"Representatives of 47 countries are meeting in Washington next week to discuss greater controls to try to keep terrorists from obtaining materials to produce nuclear weapons. How confident are you that this effort will result in better controls on these materials: very confident, somewhat confident, not so confident or not confident at all?"
						.
		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not So Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/7-11/10	7	33	27	28	4

Associated Press/Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. March 21-23, 2005. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
						.
"How likely is it that a terrorist attack using nuclear weapons will take place in the next five years . . . ?"
						.
		Very Likely	Somewhat Likely	Not Too Likely	Not At All Likely	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/21-23/05	15	38	33	13	1
						.
"How likely is it that one country will attack another country with nuclear weapons in the next five years . . . ?"
						.
		Very Likely	Somewhat Likely	Not Too Likely	Not At All Likely	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/21-23/05	18	34	34	13	1
						.
"Which statement comes closest to your view? . . ."
						.
						%
	"No countries should be allowed to have nuclear weapons."					66
						.
	"Only the United States and its allies should be allowed to have nuclear weapons."					13
						.
	"Only countries that already have nuclear weapons should be allowed to have them."					11
						.
	"Any country that is able to develop nuclear weapons should be allowed to have them."					5
						.
	Only the U.S. should be allowed to have nuclear weapons (vol.)					1
						.
	Unsure					4

Program on International Policy Attitudes/Knowledge Networks Poll. March 16-22, 2004. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.5. This survey was fielded by Knowledge Networks using its nationwide research panel. Knowledge Networks employs a random-digit-dial telephone methodology to develop a representative sample of households for participation in its panel. Participants receive free hardware and free Internet access. Surveys are administered via interactive TV devices.
						.
"Based on what you know, do you think the U.S. should or should not participate in the following treaties and agreements? . . ."
						.
		Should	Should Not	No Answer
		%	%	%
	"The treaty that would prohibit nuclear weapon test explosions worldwide"
	3/04	87	12	2
						.
	"The treaty that bans all use of land mines"
	3/04	83	14	3
						.
	"The treaty that bans all chemical weapons"
	3/04	91	7	2
						.
	"The treaty that bans all biological weapons"
	3/04	91	7	2
						.
"Here are some positions about the possible use of nuclear weapons by the United States. Which one comes closest to yours? The U.S. should never use nuclear weapons under any circumstances. The U.S. should only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack. In certain circumstances, the U.S. should use nuclear weapons even if it has not suffered a nuclear attack."
						.
		Never Use	Only in Response To Nuclear Attack	Even if Hasn't Suffered Nuclear Attack	No Answer
		%	%	%	%
	3/04	21	60	18	2
						.
"With regard to missile defense, do you think the U.S. should build a missile defense system right away; do more research until such a system is proven to be effective; not build a missile defense system at all?"
						.
		Build Right Away	Do More Research	Not Build At All	No Answer
		%	%	%	%
	3/04	21	68	8	2

The Gallup Poll. Feb. 3-6, 2003. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Recently there has been some discussion about the possibility of the United States building a defense system against nuclear missiles. Do you think the government should or should not spend the money that would be required for research and possible development of such a system, or are you unsure?"
					.
		Should	Should Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/03	46	21	33
	4/02	47	20	33
	2/02	51	16	33
	7/01	41	28	31
	2/01	44	20	36

Bloomberg News Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. July 31-Aug. 5, 2001. N=1,206 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Bush has proposed building a missile defense system that would be designed to protect the United States from a missile attack. He has not said how much this would cost. Do you favor or oppose this proposal?"
				.
		8/01	1/01
		%	%
	Favor	49	47
	Oppose	41	47
	Don't know/Refused	10	7
				.
"Now, as president, do you think Bush will be able to build a missile defense system as he has described or not?"
				.
		8/01	1/01
		%	%
	Will be able to build	39	37
	Will not be able to build	44	50
	Don't know/Refused	17	13

*CNN/Time* Poll** conducted by Harris Interactive. July 17-18, 2001. N=1,015 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
			.
"Some people feel the U.S. should try to develop a ground and space based missile defense system to protect the U.S. from missile attack. Others oppose such an effort because they say it would be too costly and might interfere with existing arms treaties with the Russians. Which position comes closer to your view?"
			.
		%
	Should try to develop	52
	Should not	40
	Not sure	8

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. May 3-4, 2001. N=1,002 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"President Bush says the arms-control treaties of the Cold War era are out of date and we should build an anti-missile shield to protect the U.S. in case of an accident or nuclear attack by a rogue state like Iraq or Iran. Others say we shouldn't build an anti-missile shield that our major allies oppose and relies on technology not yet proven to be effective. Which comes closer to your view?"
			.
		%
	Should build	48
	Should not build	44
	Don't know	8

The Harris Poll. July 13-17, 2000. N=1,010 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Have you seen, heard or read anything recently about the missile defense system which the Pentagon has been developing for testing, or not?"
		%
	Have	52
	Have not	47
	Not sure	1
				.
	Asked of those who answered "Have" to question above: "As far as you know, was the most recent test of whether or not the interceptor rocket could hit an incoming missile successful or unsuccessful, or are you not sure?"
		%
	Successful	8
	Unsuccessful	64
	Not sure	27
				.
"Which one of the following do you think President Clinton and the Congress should do? Continue with more research to develop a system which is successfully tested before deciding whether or not to develop the full system. Commit now to developing and building a comprehensive missile defense system."
			%
	Continue with research		66
	Commit now to building defense system		19
	Neither (vol.)		5
	Not sure		9
				.
"Do you think President Clinton should make this decision this year or should it be made next year by the next president, whoever he is?
		%
	Decide this year	42
	Decide next year	48
	Not sure	10

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. July 14-16, 2000. N=1,063 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"How closely have you been following the news about the possibility of the United States building a defense system against nuclear missiles: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all closely?"
		%
	Very closely	11
	Somewhat closely	32
	Not too closely	31
	Not at all closely	25
	No opinion	1
			.
"Do you think the government should or should not spend the money that would be necessary to build such a system?"
		%
	Should	53
	Should not	36
	No opinion	11
			.
"Who, as president, would you have more confidence in to make decisions about such a missile defense system: [rotate] Al Gore or George W. Bush?"
		%
	Bush	48
	Gore	37
	Both equally (vol.)	3
	Neither (vol.)	5
	No opinion	7

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Oct. 23-25,1999. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.2.
			.
"As you may know, the U.S. Senate rejected an international treaty called the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which would prohibit the testing of nuclear weapons. The Senate's action means that the U.S. will not be part of the treaty. Do you approve or disapprove of the Senate's rejection of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, or don't you have an opinion either way?"
		%
	Approve	28
	Disapprove	46
	Don't have an opinion	22
	Not sure	4
			.
"Let me read you two statements that supporters and opponents of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty make, and then get your reaction. "Supporters say that the test ban would reduce the spread of nuclear weapons to new countries by stopping the testing needed to perfect them, yet still allow the U.S. to keep its nuclear arms up to date through computer-simulated testing. "Opponents say that the test ban would not reduce the spread of nuclear weapons to new countries because there would be no way to know for sure whether other countries were testing nuclear arms, and the prohibition on testing ultimately would reduce the quality of U.S. nuclear weapons. "With whom do you agree more: supporters or opponents of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?"
		%
	Agree more with supporters	44
	Agree more with opponents	43
	Not sure	13
			.
"If your senator voted to reject the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, would that make you more likely or less likely to vote for your senator in the next election, or would it not be a factor in your decision?"
		%
	More likely	14
	Less likely	23
	Not a factor	59
	Not sure	4

Foreign Aid See also: Health Policy (AIDS)

Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. June 13-23, 2002. N=1,402 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).
						.
"Turning to the issue of foreign aid, do you think the United States is now spending too little on foreign aid, about the right amount, or too much on foreign aid?"
		ALL	Whites	Blacks	Latinos
		%	%	%	%
	Too little	8	6	13	14
	Right amount	22	23	22	23
	Too much	56	57	55	45
	Don't know	14	14	10	19

The Gallup Poll. May 18-21, 2000. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Turning to the issue of foreign aid: Do you think the amount of money the United States is now devoting to foreign aid should be increased, reduced, or kept at about the present level?"
		Increased	Reduced	Present Level	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/00	9	47	40	4
	8/59	6	39	36	20

International Monetary Fund

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Sept. 10-13, 1998. N=1,000 adults nationwide.
			.
"Should the United States participate with the International Monetary Fund and other nations in a plan to lend money to countries that suffer financial collapse, such as Russia, South Korea, and Indonesia?"
		%
	Yes	41
	No	48
	Depends (vol.)	5
	Not sure	6

NATO

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). April 17-19, 1999. N=500 adults nationwide.
			.
"How important is NATO, the security alliance between the U.S. and Europe: very important, fairly important, just somewhat important, or not that important?"
		%
	Very important	63
	Fairly important	14
	Just somewhat important	13	.
	Not that important	8
	Not sure	2

Pew Research Center Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. March 24-30, 1999. N=1,786 adults nationwide.
						.
"Do you think the NATO alliance should be maintained or is the alliance not necessary any more?"
						.
		3/99	1/97	12/94	6/91
		%	%	%	%
	Maintained	74	61	60	62
	Not necessary	13	21	27	17
	Don't know/Refused	13	18	13	21

United Nations

Gallup Poll. Feb. 1-3, 2010. N=1,025 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
					.
"Do you think the United Nations is doing a good job or a poor job in trying to solve the problems it has had to face?"
					.
		Good Job	Poor Job	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/1-3/10	31	64	5
	2/9-12/09	26	65	9
	2/11-14/08	27	65	8
	2/1-4/07	29	66	5
	2/6-9/06	30	64	7
	2/7-10/05	36	61	3
	2/04	36	60	4
	8/03	37	60	3
	3/03	37	58	5
	1/03	50	42	8
	10/02	43	51	6
	2/02	58	36	6
	2/01	54	38	8
	5/00	52	43	5
	2/23-25/96	46	46	8
	10/19-22/95	36	49	15
	9/19-22/95	36	49	15
	8/28-30/95	35	56	9

Gallup Poll. Feb. 9-12, 2009. N=1,022 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you think the United Nations is doing a good job or a poor job in trying to solve the problems it has had to face?"
						.
		Good Job	Poor Job	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/9-12/09	26	65	9
	2/11-14/08	27	65	8
	2/1-4/07	29	66	5
	2/6-9/06	30	64	7
	2/7-10/05	36	61	3
	2/04	36	60	4
	8/03	37	60	3
	3/03	37	58	5
	1/03	50	42	8
	10/02	43	51	6
	2/02	58	36	6
	2/01	54	38	8
	5/00	52	43	5
	2/23-25/96	46	46	8
	10/19-22/95	36	49	15
	9/19-22/95	36	49	15
	8/28-30/95	35	56	9
						.
"Now thinking more specifically, which of the following roles would you like to see the United Nations play in world affairs today? Should it play a leading role where all countries are required to follow UN policies; a major role, where the UN establishes policies, but where individual countries still act separately when they disagree with the UN; or should it play a minor role, with the UN serving mostly as a forum for communication between nations, but with no policy making role?" Options rotated
						.
		Leading Role	Major Role	Minor Role	Should Not Exist (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/9-12/09	26	38	30	1	6
	2/11-14/08	26	42	27	2	2
	2/1-4/07	29	46	22	-	2
	2/6-9/06	26	42	28	1	3
	2/7-10/05	21	47	27	1	4
	2/9-12/04	24	45	28	1	2
	2/1-4/01	19	49	28	-	4

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Sept. 25-26, 2007. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the job the United Nations is doing?"
					.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/25-26/07	34	48	18
	3/1-2/05	32	46	22
	9/23-24/03	31	52	17
	2/25-26/03	40	42	18
	4/30 - 5/1/02	42	33	25

Quinnipiac University Poll. Nov. 13-19, 2006. N=1,623 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 2.4.
				.
"I'd like to get your feelings about some countries and governing organizations who have been in the news and what sort of a relationship you feel they have with the United States. I'll read the name of a country or governing organization and I'd like you to rate how much of a friend or foe they are to the U.S. using the feeling thermometer. You can choose any number between 0 and 100. The higher the number, the warmer or more friendly you feel they are to the U.S. The lower the number, the colder or less friendly they are. If we come to a country or governing organization who you haven't heard enough about to form an opinion, you don't need to rate them. Just tell me and we'll move on to the next one. How friendly or unfriendly do you think the United Nations is to the U.S.?"
				.
		MEAN RATING	Unsure
		MEAN RATING	%
	11/13-19/06	50.4	6
	8/17-23/06	49.2	5
	5/23-30/06	50.1	9
	2/21-28/06	50.6	6

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Sept. 9-12, 2005. N=500 adults nationwide.
						.
"How much confidence would you say that you have in the United Nations: a great deal of confidence, quite a lot of confidence, not very much confidence, or none at all?"
						.
		A Great Deal	Quite A Lot	Not Very Much	None At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/9-12/05	7	26	44	21	2
	5/12-16/05	9	21	47	20	3

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Aug. 25-26, 2003. N=1,009 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you think the United States should increase its funding of the United Nations, keep it the same, or decrease its funding of the United Nations?" Options rotated
						.
		Increase	Same	Decrease	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/03	11	50	37	2

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Feb. 10-12, 2003. N=747 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
					.
"In general, do you feel the United Nations is doing a good job or a poor job in trying to solve the problems it has to face?"
					.
		Good	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/03	51	41	8
	9/02	40	50	10
	11/01	63	27	10

CBS News Poll. Sept. 22-23, 2002. N=903 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"How much influence does the United States have in the United Nations today: too much, too little, or the right amount?"
						.
		Too Much	Too Little	Right Amount	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/02	13	38	39	10
	5/85	12	42	33	13

Associated Press Poll conducted by ICR. Sept. 14-18, 2001. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Do you think the United Nations is doing a good job or a poor job of trying to solve the problems it has had to face?"
		%
	Good job	64
	Poor job	24
	Don't know	12
				.
"The United States has not paid its full dues to the United Nations in recent years after some members of Congress held up payments because of disputes over UN policies and its administration. Others say it's time for the United States to pay its full dues to the United Nations. Do you favor or oppose the United States paying its UN dues in full?"
		%
	Favor	48
	Oppose	32
	Don't know	20
				.
"Do you think the United Nations should or should not play a major role in pulling countries together to fight against terrorism?"
		%
	Should	90
	Should not	7
	Don't know	3
				.
"Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Countries that receive substantial military or economic aid from the United States should support U.S. positions when casting votes at the United Nations."
		%
	Agree	76
	Disagree	17
	Don't know	7
				.
"Which one of the following things would be the most important things the United Nations could do to help fight terrorism? Reach agreements so nations hand over suspects for prosecution. Develop better exchanges of information. Initiate military action. Initiate economic sanctions."
			%
	Agreements so nations hand over suspects		31
	Better exchanges of information		15
	Military action		16
	Economic sanctions		8
	All of the above		24
	Don't know		6

U.S. Military

Gallup Poll. Feb. 1-3, 2010. N=1,025 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
"There is much discussion as to the amount of money the government in Washington should spend for national defense and military purposes. How do you feel about this? Do you think we are spending too little, about the right amount, or too much?"
						.
		Too Little	About Right	Too Much	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/1-3/10	27	36	34	2
	2/9-12/09	24	41	31	4
	2/11-14/08	22	30	44	3
	2/1-4/07	20	35	43	2
	2/6-9/06	25	40	32	3
	2/05	30	38	30	2
	2/04	22	45	31	2
	2/03	25	44	27	4
	2/02	33	48	17	2
	2/01	41	38	19	2
	8/00	40	34	20	6
	5/00	31	44	22	3
	5/99	28	35	32	5
	11/98	26	45	22	7
	3/93	17	38	42	3
	1/4-7/90	9	36	50	5
	4/10-13/87	14	36	44	6
						.
"Do you, yourself, feel that our national defense is stronger now than it needs to be, not strong enough, or about right at the present time?"
						.
		Too Strong	Not Strong Enough	About Right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/1-3/10	7	45	46	1
	2/9-12/09	6	37	54	3
	2/11-14/08	10	47	41	2
	2/1-4/07	8	46	43	2
	2/6-9/06	7	43	47	3
	2/05	9	40	49	2
	2/04	10	34	54	2
	2/03	13	34	52	1
	2/02	6	43	50	1
	2/01	7	44	48	1
	5/00	6	38	55	1
	1/00	6	39	52	3
	5/99	7	42	48	3
	1/90	16	17	64	3

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Jan. 8-10, 2010. N=1,023 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
"Do you think the United States is number one in the world militarily, or that it is only one of several leading military powers?"
						.
		Number One	One of Several	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	64	34	-	1
	2/1-4/07	60	39	-	1
	5/18-21/00	56	41	-	3
	5/7-9/99	51	46	1	2
	3/29-31/93	63	34	1	2
						.
"In twenty years, do you think the United States will be number one in the world militarily, only one of several leading military powers, or not among the leading military powers in the world?"
						.
		Number One	One of Several	Not Among Leading	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	36	56	6	1

CBS News Poll. Dec. 17-22, 2009. N=1,048 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Using a grading scale of A, B, C, D, and F, where A is excellent and F is very poor and using any of the grades in between, how would you grade the condition of the U.S. military?"

		A	B	C	D	F
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/17-22/09	28	39	22	5	2
						.
"Do you think we should return to the military draft at this time, or not?"

		Should	Should Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/17-22/09	20	76	4
						.
"From what you know, do you think the U.S. government is giving U.S. troops in other countries enough resources and military equipment to succeed, or not?"

		Is	Is Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/17-22/09	50	37	13
						.
"Do you think the federal government is doing all that it could be expected to do to care for the needs and problems facing U.S. military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, or not?"

		Is	Is Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/17-22/09	22	71	7
						.
"Do you think the U.S. military is adequately prepared to respond to a new military threat against the United States, or do you think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have spread U.S. military forces too thin to be able to respond to a new military threat effectively?"

		Is Prepared	Spread Too Thin	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/17-22/09	34	56	2	8

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 6, 2009. N=1,007 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
					.
"When the United States is considering different courses of military action, should U.S. military commanders make their positions publicly known, or should they only state their positions privately to the president and others in the chain of command?" Options rotated

		Publicly	Privately	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/6/09	30	62	8

CBS News/New York Times Poll. July 24-28, 2009. N=1,050 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).
					.
"As you may know, women in the U.S. military are currently not allowed to join combat units but do serve in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan as support for the ground troops, for example as military police, medics and Humvee drivers. Do you favor or oppose allowing women in the military to serve in combat zones in these support roles?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/24-28/09	83	14	3
					.
"Would you favor or oppose allowing women in the military to join combat units, where they would be directly involved in the ground fighting?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	53	43	4
	Men	53	45	2
	Women	53	42	5

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Feb. 18-19, 2009. N=1,046 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"When the remains of U.S. troops who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan are flown back to the U.S., brief ceremonies are held when the caskets are taken off the plane at an air force base. Do you think the government should or should not allow the public to see pictures of those events on TV, in newspapers, and on websites?"

		Should	Should Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/18-19/09	67	31	1

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Sept. 7-8, 2007. N=1,028 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you think women should or should not be allowed to hold combat jobs in the U.S. armed forces?"

		Should	Should Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/7-8/07	74	23	3

Gallup Poll. Aug. 13-16, 2007. N=1,019 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you think the United States should return to the military draft at this time, or not?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/13-16/07	18	80	2
	10/11-14/04	14	85	1
	10/24-26/03	17	80	3
	1/3-5/03	27	69	4
	6/5-7/98	16	81	3
	7/31 - 8/3/81	48	45	7
	7/80	58	34	7
	2/80	59	36	5

Gallup Poll. Feb. 1-4, 2007. N=1,007 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you think the United States is number one in the world militarily, or that it is only one of several leading military powers?"
						.
		Number One	One of Several	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/1-4/07	60	39	-	1
	5/18-21/00	56	41	-	3
	5/7-9/99	51	46	1	2
	3/29-31/93	63	34	1	2
						.
"Do you feel that it's important for the United States to be number one in the world militarily, or that being number one is not that important, as long as the U.S. is among the leading military powers?"
						.
		Important	Not That Important	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/1-4/07	61	38	1
	5/18-21/00	70	29	1
	5/7-9/99	59	39	2
	3/29-31/93	61	37	2

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll. June 23-26, 2005. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).
						.
"Do you think the war in Iraq has or has not made it more difficult for the U.S. military to attract new recruits?" Half sample
						.
		Has	Has Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/23-26/05	73	25	1
						.
"Do you think the war in Iraq has or has not made it more difficult for the U.S. military to be ready to respond to conflicts elsewhere in the world?" Half sample
						.
		Has	Has Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/23-26/05	65	33	2
						.
"Would you advise a young person close to you to join the military, or not?"
						.
		Yes	No	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/23-26/05	41	52	6	1

Associated Press/Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. June 20-22, 2005. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
						.
"If you had a son who was the right age to serve in the military, would you encourage him to enlist in the military now or would you discourage him from enlisting in the military now?"
						.
		Encourage	Discourage	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/20-22/05	32	55	12	1
						.
"If you had a daughter who was the right age to serve in the military, would you encourage her to enlist in the military now or would you discourage her from enlisting in the military now?"
						.
		Encourage	Discourage	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/20-22/05	22	66	11	1
						.
"Do you favor or oppose the reinstatement of the military draft in the United States?"
						.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/20-22/05	27	70	4
						.
"If the military draft were reinstated, would you favor or oppose drafting women as well as men?"
						.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/20-22/05	43	54	3

Gallup Poll. June 16-19, 2005. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"If you had a son or daughter who was planning to enter the military, would you support that step or would you suggest a different occupation?"
					.
		Support That Step	Suggest Different Occupation	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/16-19/05	51	48	1
					.
"Would you favor or oppose requiring every able-bodied young man in this country, when he reaches the age of 18, to spend one year in military training and then join the reserves?"
					.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/16-19/05	35	62	3
	12/55	69	23	8

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2004. N=1,013 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 4. Sept. 30 interviewing limited to Pacific and Mountain time zones, after the presidential debate concluded.
						.
"There has not been a military draft in this country since the 1970s. How would you feel about reinstating the draft and requiring young men to serve in the military at this time? Do you favor reinstating the military draft, OR think it should be considered, OR think it should NOT be considered?"
						.
		Favor	Consider	Don't Consider	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/30 - 10/2/04	7	28	62	3
						.
Following questions asked in random order: "Because of Iraq, do you think the military draft is likely to be reinstated if George W. Bush is reelected in November?"
						.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/30 - 10/2/04	38	51	11
						.
"Because of Iraq, do you think the military draft is likely to be reinstated if John Kerry is elected in November?"
						.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/30 - 10/2/04	18	67	15

Pew Research Center/Council on Foreign Relations survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. July 8-18, 2004. Nationwide.
						.
"Do you think that we should increase our spending on national defense, keep it about the same, or cut it back?" Form 1 (N=1,003, MoE ą 3.5)
						.
		Increase	Same	Cut Back	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/8-18/04	25	53	18	4
	10/01	50	41	7	2
						.
"Do you think the U.S. should increase the size of the military, keep it about the same, or reduce the size of the military?" Form 2 (N=1,006, MoE ą 3.5)
						.
		Increase	Same	Cut Back	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/8-18/04	34	54	8	4

Gallup Poll. May 21-23, 2004. N=496 adults nationwide. MoE ą 5.
				.
"Just off the top of your head, which of the five branches of the Armed Forces in this country would you say is the most important to our national defense today: the Air Force, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, or the Coast Guard?" Options rotated
				.
		5/03	4/02
		%	%
	Army	25	18
	Air Force	23	36
	Marines	23	16
	Navy	9	17
	Coast Guard	4	1
	Same (vol.)	12	10
	No opinion	4	2

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. April 21-22, 2004. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"If it becomes clear that more soldiers are needed in the war against terrorism, would you approve or disapprove of reinstituting the military draft?"
					.
		Approve	Disap- prove	Not Sure
		%	%	%
	4/21-22/04	41	51	8
	1/14-15/03	56	36	8
	5/14-15/02	57	34	9
	11/14-15/01	74	18	8
	10/3-4/01	76	16	8

Program on International Policy Attitudes/Knowledge Networks Poll. March 16-22, 2004. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.5. This survey was fielded by Knowledge Networks using its nationwide research panel. Knowledge Networks employs a random-digit-dial telephone methodology to develop a representative sample of households for participation in its panel. Participants receive free hardware and free Internet access. Surveys are administered via interactive TV devices.
						.
"There is much discussion as to the amount of money the government in Washington should spend for national defense and military purposes. How do you feel about this? Do you think we are spending too much, about the right amount, or too little?"
						.
		Too Much	About Right	Too Little	No Answer
		%	%	%	%
	3/04	41	41	16	2

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Jan. 23-24, 2003. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (total sample).
						.
"There has not been a military draft in this country since the 1970s. How would you feel about reinstating the draft and requiring young men to serve in the military at this time? Do you favor reinstating the military draft, OR think it should be considered, OR think it should NOT be considered?"
		Favor	Consider	Don't Consider	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	14	38	45	3
	18-29	12	29	57	2
	30 to 49	13	36	48	3
	50 & older	15	47	34	4
						.
"If a military draft is reinstated, do you think young women should be required to serve as well as young men?"
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	46	49	5
	Men	49	47	4
	Women	44	50	6

*CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll*. Jan. 3-5, 2003. N=513 adults nationwide. MoE ą 5.
					.
"If the United States invades Iraq with ground troops, do you think the United States should return to the military draft, or not?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/03	43	53	4

*ABC News/Washington* Post Poll**. Sept. 4-6, 2000. N=1,065 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"In the past eight years, do you think the U.S. military has gotten stronger, gotten weaker, or stayed about the same?"
			.
		%
	Stronger	12
	Weaker	47
	Same	40
	No opinion	1

America's Role in World Affairs

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Feb. 4-8, 2010. N=1,004 adults nationwide.
						.
"As you may know some people referred to the 20th Century as the American Century because of the dominant role the United States played in world affairs and the world economy. In the 21st Century do you think the U.S. role in world affairs will be about the same as it was in the 20th Century, larger or smaller?" Half sample (Form A)
						.
		Same	Larger	Smaller	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/4-8/10	19	32	46	2
						.
"As you may know some people referred to the 20th Century as the American Century because of the dominant role the United States played in world affairs and the world economy. In the 21st Century do you think the U.S. role in the world economy will be about the same as it was in the 20th Century, larger or smaller?" Half sample (Form B)
						.
		Same	Larger	Smaller	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/4-8/10	18	26	53	2
						.
"Just your best guess, in terms of the dominant role in world affairs, do you think the 21st Century will be more of an American Century, more of a Chinese Century or what?" Half sample (Form A)
						.
		American Century	Chinese Century	Other (vol.)	A Mix (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/4-8/10	38	43	12	3	4
						.
"Just your best guess, in terms of the dominant role in the world economy, do you think the 21st Century will be more of an American Century, more of a Chinese Century or what?" Half sample (Form B)
						.
		American Century	Chinese Century	Other (vol.)	A Mix (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/4-8/10	40	41	7	5	6
						.
"If the United States does have less of a role in world affairs in the 21st Century than it had in the 20th Century, do you think that would be a good thing for the United States, a bad thing, or neither good nor bad?" Half sample (Form A)
						.
		Good Thing	Bad Thing	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/4-8/10	19	39	40	2
						.
"If the United States does have less of a role in the world economy in the 21st Century than it had in the 20th Century, do you think that would be a good thing for the United States, a bad thing, or neither good nor bad?" Half sample (Form B)
						.
		Good Thing	Bad Thing	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/4-8/10	15	43	40	2

Gallup Poll. Feb. 1-3, 2010. N=1,025 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
"On the whole, would you say that you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the position of the United States in the world today?"
						.
		Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/1-3/10	35	63	2
	2/9-12/09	32	66	3
	2/11-14/08	30	68	2
	2/1-4/07	37	61	2
	2/6-9/06	43	54	3
	2/7-10/05	48	51	1
	10/9-10/04	42	56	2
	2/9-12/04	47	51	2
	4/14-16/03	67	30	3
	3/22-23/03	69	29	2
	2/17-19/03	48	50	2
	2/3-6/03	55	43	2
	2/02	71	27	2
	2/01	67	30	3
	5/00	65	33	2
	9/66	44	46	10
						.
"In general, how do you think the United States rates in the eyes of the world: very favorably, somewhat favorably, somewhat unfavorably, or very unfavorably?"
						.
		Very Favorably	Somewhat Favorably	Somewhat Unfavorably	Very Unfavorably	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/1-3/10	7	44	38	9	2
	2/9-12/09	4	41	40	13	2
	2/11-14/08	6	37	41	14	2
	6/1-3/07	6	34	33	25	2
	2/1-4/07	5	40	38	16	1
	2/6-9/06	7	41	37	13	2
	2/7-10/05	7	41	39	12	1
	2/9-12/04	10	44	34	11	1
	4/14-16/03	12	49	28	9	2
	2/17-19/03	7	47	34	11	1
	2/3-6/03	11	46	34	7	2
	3/8-9/02	20	46	26	5	3
	2/4-6/02	20	59	17	3	1
	2/01	18	57	20	4	1
	5/00	20	53	22	4	1

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Dec. 11-14, 2009. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.4.
			.
"Today the United States is generally considered to be the world's leading nation. Twenty years from now, which country do you think will be the leader: [see below]?"
			.
		%
	China	39
	The United States	37
	No country will be the leader	11
	The European Union	5
	Japan	2
	India	2
	Russia	1
	Unsure	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. April 21-24, 2009. N=1,072 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Obama has met or said he's willing to meet with leaders of foreign countries that have been hostile toward the United States. Do you support or oppose his approach to dealing with such countries?"
					.
		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/21-24/09	71	27	2

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. April 3-5, 2009. N=513 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.5.
					.
"Which comes closer to your view about Muslim countries that are allies of the United States: the U.S. should trust them the same as any other ally, or the U.S. should trust them less than its other allies?"
					.
		Trust the Same	Trust Less	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/3-5/09	51	48	1

*ABC News/Washington* Post Poll**. March 26-29, 2009. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Under Obama, do you think America's image in the rest of the world has gotten better, gotten worse, or stayed about the same?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/26-29/09	43	14	42	1
						.
"How important do you think it is for Obama to try to improve U.S. relations with Muslim nations: very important, somewhat important, not so important or not important at all?"
						.
		Very Important	Somewhat Important	Not So Important	Not at All Important	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/26-29/09	46	36	9	10	1
						.
"In trying to improve U.S. relations with Muslim nations, do you think Obama will go too far, not go far enough, or handle it about right?"
						.
		Too Far	Not Far Enough	About Right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/26-29/09	22	9	65	4

Gallup Poll. Feb. 9-12, 2009. N=1,022 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Next we would like you to think about the role the U.S. should play in trying to solve international problems. Do you think the U.S. should take the leading role in world affairs, take a major role but not the leading role, take a minor role, or take no role at all in world affairs?" Options rotated
						.
		Leading Role	Major Role	Minor Role	No Role	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/9-12/09	23	52	17	6	2
	2/11-14/08	19	56	19	5	1
	2/1-4/07	15	58	21	4	2
	2/6-9/06	19	55	20	4	1
	2/7-10/05	19	53	21	5	2
	2/04	21	53	21	4	1
	2/03	26	53	16	3	2
	2/02	26	52	16	4	2
	2/01	16	57	21	4	2

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 11-15, 2009. N=1,112 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you think the United States is more powerful, less powerful, or about as powerful a world leader today as it was 10 years ago?"
						.
		More Powerful	Less Powerful	About as Powerful	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/11-15/09	12	55	31	2
	2/79	19	53	23	5

*ABC News/Washington* Post Poll**. June 12-15, 2008. N=1,125 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Some people say a president should NOT meet with leaders of foreign countries that are hostile toward the United States, because it could reward their behavior and make the U.S. look weak. Others say a president SHOULD be willing to meet with leaders of foreign countries that are hostile toward the United States because talking can improve relations and avoid confrontation. Which of these views comes closer to your own?" Options rotated
					.
		Should Not Meet	Should be Willing to Meet	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/12-15/08	20	77	3

CBS News. June 26-28, 2007. N=836 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you think the United States is respected around the world today, or not?"
						.
		Respected	Not Respected	By Some (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	24	71	3	2
						.
"Do you think George W. Bush's foreign policies have made world leaders more likely to cooperate with the United States, less likely to cooperate, or haven't George W. Bush's foreign policies made much of a difference?"
						.
		More Likely	Less Likely	No Difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	10	54	30	6

Pew Research Center survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Aug. 9-13, 2006. N=731 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
"Compared with the past, would you say the U.S. is MORE respected by other countries these days, LESS respected by other countries, or AS respected as it has been in the past?"
						.
		More	Less	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/9-13/06	7	65	23	5
	10/05	9	66	21	4
	7/8-18/04	10	67	20	3

Pew Research Center survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. May 2-14, 2006. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5.
					.
"Do you agree or disagree that the U.S. and other Western powers have a moral obligation to use military force if necessary, to prevent one group of people from committing genocide against another?"
					.
		Agree	Disagree	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/2-14/06	77	13	10
	7/05	69	21	10

Gallup Poll. Feb. 7-10, 2005. N=1,008 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Next, I'm going to read a list of possible foreign policy goals that the United States might have. For each one please say whether you think it should be a very important foreign policy goal of the United States, a somewhat important goal, not too important a goal, or not an important goal at all. How about [see below]?"
				.
		Very Important	TOTAL Important
		%	%
	Preventing future acts of international terrorism
		82	96
				.
	Preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction
		82	94
				.
	Securing adequate supplies of energy
		70	92
				.
	Defending our allies' security
		57	92
				.
	Maintaining superior military power worldwide
		56	83
				.
	Promoting and defending human rights in other countries
		52	86
				.
	Protecting weaker nations against foreign aggression
		40	85
				.
	Helping to improve the standard of living of less developed nations
		38	85
				.
	Building democracy in other countries
		31	70

Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Jan. 10-12, 2005. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Compared to four years ago, do you think relations between the United States and other countries are better, worse or about the same?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/05	10	50	39	1

Pew Research Center/Council on Foreign Relations survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. July 8-18, 2004. Nationwide.
						.
"All in all, how should the U.S. determine its foreign policy? Should it be based mostly on the national interests of the U.S., or should it strongly take into account the interests of its allies?" Form 1 (N=1,003, MoE ą 3.5)
						.
		U.S. Interests	Allied Interests	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/8-18/04	37	49	7	1	6
						.
"In formulating U.S. foreign policy, is the Bush Administration taking into account the interests and views of our allies too much, too little, or about the right amount?" Form 2 (N=1,006, MoE ą 3.5)
						.
		Too Much	Too Little	Right Amount	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/8-18/04	15	37	38	10
	1/04	18	30	46	6
						.
"Do you think that using military force against countries that may seriously threaten our country, but have not attacked us, can often be justified, sometimes be justified, rarely be justified, or never be justified?" Form 1 (N=1,003, MoE ą 3.5)
						.
		Often	Sometimes	Rarely