ON FOX FIRSTAn overwhelming majority of Americans consider foreign policy and national defense to be “somewhat” or “extremely” important to them, according to a new survey from the Ronald Reagan Institute that also weighed in and revealed America’s attitudes toward rival nations what is considered ‘positive’. the “greatest threat” to the country.
As Americans await another change in the White House, as the Biden and Trump administrations prepare for executive branch reshuffling, and uncertainty has set the tone For what the US geopolitical future will look like amid increasingly volatile relations with countries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, there is great uniformity in the way Americans view the subject of national defense.
“Americans who vote for diverse candidates share an unwavering core belief: the United States must lead on the world stage, backed by a strong military that can secure peace by its power,” the Ronald Reagan Institute said in a report first obtained by Fox News Digital detailing the results of the 2024 National Defense Survey.
U.S. military personnel attend a closing ceremony of the NATO-led joint military exercises Noble Partner 2017 in the Vaziani Training Area outside Tbilisi, Georgia, August 12, 2017. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili (REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili)
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The survey results – which reflected responses from some 2,500 questionnaires issued via telephone and online platforms between November 8 and 14 – not only highlight that U.S. security and foreign policy issues remain important topics, but also indicated that the US is leading on major international issues.
The advice marks a departure from the position often taken by newly elected President Donald Trump, who has long championed an “America first” policy championed by some. Fear could isolate the US During a geopolitically turbulent time when Russia’s aggression in Europe continues to increase, Iran remains a primary threat in the Middle East, and China continues to pose a political, military and economic threat.
“I think it’s going to be really interesting to compare some of the campaign rhetoric that we’ve seen from both candidates, frankly, and see where that does and doesn’t resonate with the American people,” said Rachael Hoff, policy director of the Ronald Reagan Institute, to Fox. News Digital in reference to both Trump and his previous campaign challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The survey also found that since the annual poll began six years ago, “a record number” of Americans support “American leadership and international engagement,” with strong support for a global military posture.
Paratroopers jump from a US-American plane near Burgenlengenfeld, Germany, April 12, 2016. On Tuesday, 912 American, British and Italian soldiers trained for deployment in war zones in Upper Palatinate. The airborne maneuver is part of the ‘Saber Junction 16’ exercise. (Photo: ARMIN WEIGEL/dpa | use worldwide (Photo by Armin Weigel/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
“This represents a significant increase of 15 points since last year and a steady upward trend from the lows in the early 2020s,” the report said, noting that this shift was most prevalent among younger survey respondents, who saw a 32-point increase. a jump this year for those under 30, along with a 19-point increase for those between 30 and 44.
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The push for greater U.S. involvement abroad, especially in East Asia, which includes areas such as China and the Korean Peninsula, the Middle East, and Europe, reflects Americans’ growing concerns about not only the growing alliance between RussiaIran, North Korea and China, but about whether the US military can oppose these countries.
While more than half of male pollsters, 59%, said they believed the US could win a war against China, female participants were more skeptical, with only 45% expressing the same confidence, while 23% said they were unsure compared to 18%. of the male participants who expressed the same.
President Ronald Reagan waves to the crowd.
More confidence in the US military was shown when asked if the US could win a war against Russia, although women again showed less confidence than their male peers, with 73% of male participants saying the US would come out on top bus, compared to only 56%. of female pollsters.
While it remains unclear why female participants had less confidence in the U.S. military, the majority of pollsters collectively agreed that China poses the greatest threat to the U.S., even though Russia is the U.S.’s main enemy.
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“One of the biggest trends we’ve seen in the polls over the last three or four years is the growing consensus that China is the biggest threat we face – that really resonates with the American people, and it’s something that it is clear that we have heard from national security leaders in Washington on a bipartisan basis,” Hoff said. That doesn’t mean Americans don’t view Russia, Iran, North Korea, or even the collaboration between these malign actors, as a threat.
South Korean and US Marines take up positions during a joint amphibious landing exercise with their Philippine counterparts on a beach overlooking the South China Sea in the city of San Antonio, Zambales province, October 7, 2022. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images )
“Actually, an interesting takeaway from our poll this year is that 85% of Americans, a huge percentage… are concerned about cooperation between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, and we see that happening among the front lines in Ukraine,” Hoff added. “We see it playing out in the Middle East and it is something that Americans want our government to understand and pursue.”
Hoff explained that while the survey – which reflected information made clear in the run-up to and after the US election – found that Americans are prioritizing paying for domestic issues like health care, border security and social security over military and foreign policy-based initiatives, national security and geopolitics remain a major concern for Americans.
“What we see across the board from the polling is that they don’t see foreign policy and national security as something they want to divest from,” she said. “If you are asked to make them compete with each other, it becomes really difficult.
“But they clearly want their government to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time,” Hoff said. ‘The perception that there is some kind of growing isolationist sentiment in this country is not really borne out by the figures.
Split screen with Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Kim Jong Un. (Xi: TINGSHU WANG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images, Putin: Getty Images, AK: ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images, KJU: VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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“There’s a lot of rhetoric – whether you listen to the debates on Capitol Hill or the debates in the media – that would lead you to believe that the American people want the US to do less in the world, that they want us to . Take a step back from international leadership. And if you ask the American people, it turns out that that is simply not the case,” Hoff said.
“They want America to lead from a position of strength. They want us to have a strong military,” she continued. “They want us to stand up for the values of freedom and democracy around the world. And that applies on a bipartisan basis among both Republicans and Democrats, those who voted for President Trump and voted for Vice President Harris.”
