GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Defense Department officials are scheduled to appear before the House Armed Services Committee this week to discuss the Bush administration's proposed buildup in defense spending. The administration's proposed budget calls for increasing defense spending by $120 billion over the next five years, to $451 billion in 2007, with the largest growth coming in development of new weapons systems and supply procurement.
A recent Gallup poll shows that the greatest number of Americans are content with the current level of defense spending. Among those who are discontented, more think that "too little" is spent on defense than think "too much" is spent. The public is also generally satisfied with the strength of the nation's defense, though a substantial minority feels it is not strong enough. A majority of Americans support the development of a missile defense system for the United States.
One Third of Americans Say "Too Little" is Spent on Defense
The poll, conducted Feb. 4-6, shows that 48% of Americans feel that the amount of money the government spends on national defense is "about right." Those who think too little is spent on defense outnumber those who think too much is spent by nearly two to one (33% to 17%.)
To be sure, the public's opinion of the amount of federal spending on military and defense needs has changed since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. There has been a sharp increase in the percentage of Americans who think the amount of defense spending is "about right" when compared to a Gallup poll conducted a year earlier, in which only 38% of Americans said they felt the amount of money spent on national defense and military purposes is "about right." The 48% who say that defense spending is about right is the highest Gallup has measured in this category in the more than 30 years it has asked this question.
In addition, the percentage of those who think "too little" is being spent has fallen to 33% from 41% in the 2001 poll.
It should be noted that the most recent poll was conducted shortly before the Bush administration released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2003. The shift in opinion observed since last year may be attributed to two factors: emergency appropriations for the Defense Department following the Sept. 11 attacks to cover the costs of homeland defense and the military action in Afghanistan, along with the realization by many Americans of the perceived need for spending on both fronts in the war on terrorism. This factor can be shown by the relative lack of change from 2001 to 2002 in the percentage of Americans who think "too much" is spent on national defense and the military -- 17% in 2002 compared with 19% in 2001.
Americans Divided on Strength of U.S.
The poll shows essentially no change in Americans' assessments of the strength of the nation's defense. The largest number of Americans are satisfied, but a substantial minority think that defense in the U.S. is not strong enough. Currently, 50% of Americans say that the strength of the U.S. national defense is "about right," while 43% declare that the national defense is "not strong enough." Just 6% feel it is stronger than it needs to be. A Feb. 2001 poll found that 48% said the nation's defense was about right while 44% said it was not strong enough.
As might be expected, there are strong differences of opinion between those who describe themselves as politically conservative and those who describe themselves as liberal. Fifty-one percent of conservatives say the United States' national defense is "not strong enough," compared to just 30% of liberals. Liberals are far more likely to describe the strength of national defense as "about right" (55%).
Interestingly, the views of military veterans on this issue parallel those of conservatives, and the views of non-veterans tend to mirror those of liberals.
Support Grows for Missile Defense System
Perhaps as a result of concerns raised during President Bush's State of the Union address about the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction from the so-called "axis of evil" countries of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, support for a missile defense shield has grown among Americans. The Feb. 4-6 poll finds 51% saying the federal government should spend the money necessary to develop a system to defend the United States from nuclear missiles -- up from 41% who held that view in a Gallup poll conducted July 19-22, 2001. Currently, 16% say the government should not spend the money to build a system, down from 28% last year. Nearly one-third of Americans say they do not have an opinion on this matter.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,011 adults, 18 years and older, conducted February 4-6, 2002. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is + / - 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
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 |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2002 Feb 4-6 |
33 |
48 |
17 |
2 |
|
2001 Feb 1-4 |
41 |
38 |
19 |
2 |
|
2000 Aug 24-27 |
40 |
34 |
20 |
6 |
|
2000 May 18-21 |
31 |
44 |
22 |
3 |
|
1999 May 7-9 |
28 |
35 |
32 |
5 |
|
1998 Nov 20-22 |
26 |
45 |
22 |
7 |
|
1993 Mar 29-31 |
17 |
38 |
42 |
3 |
|
1990 |
9 |
36 |
50 |
5 |
|
1987 |
14 |
36 |
44 |
6 |
|
1986 |
13 |
36 |
47 |
4 |
|
1985 |
11 |
36 |
46 |
7 |
|
1983 |
21 |
36 |
37 |
6 |
|
1982 |
16 |
31 |
41 |
12 |
|
1981 |
51 |
22 |
15 |
12 |
|
1976 |
22 |
32 |
36 |
10 |
|
1973 |
13 |
30 |
46 |
11 |
|
1971 |
11 |
31 |
50 |
8 |
|
1969 |
8 |
31 |
52 |
9 |
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?
|
Stronger than needs to be |
Not strong enough |
About |
No |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
2002 Feb 4-6 |
6 |
43 |
50 |
1 |
|
|
2001 Feb 1-4 |
7 |
44 |
48 |
1 |
|
|
2000 May 18-21 |
6 |
38 |
55 |
1 |
|
|
2000 Jan 13-16 |
6 |
39 |
52 |
3 |
|
|
1999 May 7-9 |
7 |
42 |
48 |
3 |
|
|
1990 Jan 4-7 |
16 |
17 |
64 |
3 |
|
|
1984 ^ |
15 |
36 |
46 |
3 |
|
|
^ |
Gallup/Newsweek |
||||
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 |
No opinion |
||
|
2002 Feb 4-6 |
51% |
16 |
32 |
1 |
|
|
2001 Jul 19-22 ^ |
41% |
28 |
31 |
* |
|
|
2001 Feb 1-4 |
44% |
20 |
36 |
* |
|
|
^ |
Asked of half sample. |
||||
