This year’s Reagan National Defense Survey found that despite noise in the social media foreign policy debates, Americans overwhelmingly support international engagement and believe America should have military superiority.
By The Numbers:
Eighty-seven percent of Americans say it is important for the United States to have the most powerful military in the world, including 97% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats. Seventy-one percent of Americans say the world is more likely to achieve peace when the United States is strongest.
As far as United States international involvement at present, 64% of Americans believe the country should be more engaged in leading international affairs, while only 33% believe the United States should have less engagement.
Americans view three priorities for military involvement: East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. “MAGA” Republicans favor involvement in the Western Hemisphere (75%), but Democrats are less supportive of involvement in that region (28%). A majority of Americans (62%) support military force against drug traffickers in Latin America and the Caribbean, including 90% of “MAGA” Republicans and 36% of Democrats.
The Bottom Line: Social media is especially loud when it comes to debates around foreign policy and America’s place in the world. The Reagan Foundation found that what happens online is not necessarily real life. Americans, even those self-identifying as MAGA “America First” Republicans, believe a strong United States is essential for world peace and order.
