Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Most Americans no longer have great trust in their military – poll

Most Americans no longer have great trust in their military – poll

Trust in the US military has dropped so far that most Americans don’t have strong confidence in their armed forces, and the trend has accelerated since Joe Biden took office as commander-in-chief, the results of a new poll show.
Trust in the US military has dropped so far that most Americans don’t have strong confidence in their armed forces, and the trend has accelerated since Joe Biden took office as commander-in-chief, the results of a new poll show.

The latest national defense survey by the Ronald Reagan Institute, released late last week, showed that just 45% of Americans have a “great deal” of trust and confidence in their military. The finding marked the first time that fewer than half of respondents to the survey have expressed strong trust in the troops.

Public confidence has tumbled 25 percentage points, from 70%, in the past three years. The rating has plunged 11 points in just the past nine months, under Biden, and the figures for other institutions are even lower. Only 19% of Americans polled had strong trust in the presidency as of November – down from 30% in February, the Reagan Institute survey showed. The same rating for law enforcement has dropped to 33% from 50% in the past three years, while media outlets have retained the confidence of just 10%, down from 16% in 2018.

Among those survey respondents who expressed little or no confidence in the US military, the most common reason cited was “political leadership,” the institute said. Those who expressed strong confidence were most influenced by their high regard for rank-and-file servicemembers.

Just 42% of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the military’s ability to win an overseas war, the survey found. Similarly, 40% strongly trust that the military will act in a “professional and nonpolitical manner.” Asked which country has the best military, 69% chose the US, while 17% picked China. Nearly one-third (32%) said the US uses the military in too many situations where diplomacy would be better.

The Pentagon has come under criticism this year for its alleged embrace of “anti-racism” ideology and for prioritizing social-justice initiatives, such as ending a ban on transgender troops, over fighting readiness. The Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, in which 13 US service members were killed and hundreds of American citizens were left stranded in the Taliban-controlled country, triggered more public outrage.

The Reagan survey showed that 62% of Americans polled disapprove of how the Afghanistan exit was handled. Nearly half of respondents blamed Biden’s poor judgment, while 20% cited poor military planning.

The poll also found diminishing support for “active global leadership” by the US. Just 42% believe America should be “more engaged and take the lead” in world affairs, down from 51% in February. More than one in four Americans (27%) want the military to reduce its presence overseas and only deploy troops in response to aggression.

China was overwhelmingly identified as the greatest foreign threat to the US, at 52%, up from just 21% three years ago. More than seven in 10 Americans (72%) polled said they believe that the Covid-19 virus leaked from a Chinese lab and that Beijing lied to cover it up. Fears over Russia have declined sharply, with 14% of those surveyed seeing it as the greatest threat, down from 30% in 2018.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “The Current Welfare State Can No Longer Be Financed”
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
Wizz Air passengers screamed as storm-battered flight diverts to Bologna
European postal services halt U.S. deliveries after Trump imposes new tariffs
Urban explorer finds abandoned luxury restaurant left to decay
Fidesz leader labels Péter Magyar a ‘bluffer’ amid escalating political spat
French rope park operator arrested for denying entry to Israeli children
Újpest thrashes Zalaegerszeg 4-1 to secure first win in five matches
Profit-margin cap costs retailers 13 billion forints a month, warns trade group
Curiosity rover finds coral-like rock on Mars hinting at watery past
U.S. green policy rollback drives investors to Europe’s sustainable finance market
Special funerals rise in Hungary: boat, aerial and forest burials gain popularity
Hungary’s Kiskunság region turning into semi-desert after extreme drought
Kopasz Bálint wins world kayak 1000 m title in Milan, making him triple world champion
Budapest’s Keleti railway station to close for four weeks for track overhaul
Balaton could be unfit for swimming by 2035 and dry by 2050, scientists warn
Leaked guidelines show Meta’s AI allowed flirty and racist interactions with children
Filming of ‘Emily in Paris’ halted after assistant director dies on set
Filipino guest workers sue after Hungary moves to deport them for pregnancy
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
Canada: Nurse Suspended and Fined 93 Thousand Dollars After Stating the World’s Most Well-Known Fact Since the Creation of Adam and Eve, That There Are Only Two Genders
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
U.S. Treasury Secretary Whitney Bessent Backs Stablecoins to Boost Treasury Demand
Spain to Declare Disaster Zones After Massive Wildfires
Three-Minute Battery Swap Touted as Future of EVs
Beijing Military Parade to Showcase Weapons Advances
×