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Americans Respect the Military, Honor Veterans

Americans Respect the Military, Honor Veterans

Six in 10 men 50 or older have served

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- In an official proclamation on the first Veterans Day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote:

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of theUnited States of America, do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954, as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain. -- Oct. 8, 1954


Do American veterans feel appropriately honored? The answer is a resounding "yes," according to a 2001 Gallup Poll. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of veterans say they have "received the respect and thanks [they] deserve for serving in the armed forces." Veterans' satisfaction with the recognition they have received is seen across all major age groups, including those of the right age to have served during Vietnam.

There are also clear indications that Americans hold the military, in general, in very high esteem. Gallup's annual measurement of public confidence in institutions consistently finds the military to be the top-rated institution among Americans, exceeding "the church or organized religion," the police, the Supreme Court, and the presidency, among a dozen or so other institutions. Prior to 1986, religious institutions held the top spot, with the military generally ranking second. Since Gallup established this question in 1973, the average level of high public confidence in the military has been around 65%. Since Sept. 11, Gallup has seen a sharp increase in public confidence in the military; its ratings have jumped more than 10 points to 79% in the latest poll, conducted in June.

What Does the Veteran Population Look Like Today?

Almost 50 years after Veterans Day was established as a national holiday in 1954, one-third of the Americans it honors remain those recognized at the beginning -- uniformed servants of World War I (1914-18), World War II (1939-45), or the Korean conflict (1950-53). The period of service with the largest number of living veterans today is the Vietnam era (1959-1975). Since Vietnam, a substantial number has been added to the rolls, including those serving in peacetime after Vietnam, and those serving in the 1991 Gulf War.

VETERAN FACTS

Number of Living Veterans

Percentage of All Veterans

World War I

600

Less than 0.5%

World War II

5,152,300

20

Korean conflict

3,338,500

13

Vietnam era

10,740,600

43

Post-Vietnam (including Gulf War)

6,117,000

24

TOTAL

25,349,000

100%

Data source: Department of Veterans Affairs, Sept. 2001

Totals include peacetime veterans during each era

In accordance with these facts, a Gallup Poll conducted May 20-21, 2001 found that, of the 16% of Americans calling themselves veterans of the armed forces, roughly two-thirds are aged 50 or older. This is markedly older than the general population.

Age of Veterans Compared to U.S. Public
May, 20-21 2001

(In that three-quarters of all living veterans served during Vietnam or earlier, and that the youngest a Vietnam War-era veteran could be today is 45 -- if he or she joined the service at 18 in the final year of the war -- it is logical that three-quarters of veterans should be 45 years or older. In fact, that is exactly what Gallup finds. Seventy-four percent of respondents who tell Gallup they have been in the armed forces are 45 or older.)

An even more distinguishing feature of the veteran population, although not a surprising one, is that it is overwhelmingly male. Nine in 10 veterans polled by Gallup are male, whereas the U.S. adult population breaks 48% male, 52% female.

Another way to look at the age and gender aspects of being a veteran is that 6 out of 10 men aged 50 and older have served in the armed forces, compared to only 13% of men aged 18-49, and 3% of women in both age groups.

Percentage of Veterans by Gender/Age
May, 20-21 2001

Veterans are similar to the general population in several respects: their racial makeup, their income and educational attainment, and their geographic dispersion across the country. In terms of their self-described political ideology and their party preferences, veterans tend toward the political right. For instance, 41% of veterans describe their political views as conservative, compared to 34% of the public at large. At the time of this survey, in May 2001, one-third of veterans were oriented toward the Republican Party, compared to 29% of the general public.

Political Orientation of Veterans

General Public

Veterans

%

%

Conservative

34

41

Moderate

42

43

Liberal

20

14

Republican

29

34

Independent

38

36

Democrat

33

30

The reason veterans hold more conservative-than-average views is not clear. While it could be due to the experience of serving in the military, the findings among older Americans suggest otherwise. Overall, older men (those 50 and older) tend to be more conservative than younger men. But just looking at men aged 50 and older, veterans actually tend to be less conservative than do non-veterans.

Political Orientation of Men Aged 50 or Older
by Veteran Status
May, 20-21 2001

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,011 adults, 18 years and older, conducted May 18-20, 2001. 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 plus or minus 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.

Are you personally a veteran of the armed forces?

 

Yes

No

No opinion

2001 May 18-20

16%

84

*

* Less than 0.5%



 

Demographic Profile of Veterans vs. the Public

May 2001

National Adults

Veterans

%

%

Male

48

90

Female

52

10

White

83

89

Total Nonwhite

16

11

Black

11

7

18-29

18

4

30-49

42

26

50-64

20

30

65+

18

39

East

23

21

Midwest

24

25

South

32

34

West

22

20

Postgraduate education

13

17

College grad only

13

8

Some college

32

35

High School or less

41

39

$50,000+

40

44

$30,000-49,999

22

27

$20,000-29,999

13

13

Less than $20,000

19

12

Conservative

34

41

Moderate

42

43

Liberal

20

14

Republican

29

34

Independent

38

36

Democrat

33

30



Would you say you have or have not received the respect and thanks you deserve for serving in the Armed Forces?

BASED ON -- 169 -- VETERANS OF ARMED FORCES; ±8 PCT. PT.S

 

Yes, have received

No, not

No opinion

2001 May 18-20

73%

24

3



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 -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little? First, ... Next, [RANDOM ORDER]

 

TOP FIVE INSTITUTIONS IN 2002

% "Great deal" or "Quite a lot" of confidence

The Military

The Police

The Presidency

The U.S. Supreme Court

Banks

%

%

%

%

%

2002 Jun 21-23

79

59

58

50

47

2001 Jun

66

57

48

50

44

2000 Jun

64

54

42

47

46

1999 Jun

68

57

49

49

43

1998 Jun

64

58

53

50

40

1997 Jul

60

59

49

50

41

1996 May

66

60

39

45

44

1995 Apr

64

58

45

44

43

1994 Mar

64

54

38

42

35

1993 Mar

68

52

43

44

37

1991 Oct

69

--

50

39

30

1991 Mar

85

--

72

48

32

1990 Aug

68

--

--

47

36

1989 Sep

63

--

--

46

42

1988 Sep

68

--

--

56

49

1987 Jul

61

--

--

52

51

1986 Jul

63

--

--

54

49

1985 May

61

--

--

56

51

1984 Oct

58

--

--

51

51

1983 Aug

53

--

--

42

51

1981 Nov

50

--

--

46

46

1979 Apr

54

--

--

45

60

1977 Jan

57

--

--

46

--

1975 May

58

--

--

49

--

1973 May

--

--

--

44

--

Average

64

57

49

48

44

-- Not asked




Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/7177/americans-respect-military-honor-veterans.aspx
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