The American public favors diplomatic and economic strategies over most military involvement and questions whether or not the United States should be the world’s chief problem solver, even as a myriad of troubles across the globe are identified as important for the next president to address.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found a public overwhelmingly in support of diplomatic efforts to resolve different types of global crises and a substantial number are also positive about the appropriateness of economic measures. However, many people question the wisdom of some military interventions by the United States.
The nationwide poll of 1,167 adults collected data from June 25 to July 7 using AmeriSpeak, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Interviews were conducted online and using landlines and cellphones.
Three Things You Should Know
From The AP-NORC Center’s Foreign Policy Poll
Among all American Adults:
- Only 27 percent say the United States should be more involved in dealing with various troubles facing the world; 38 percent would rather the United States reduce its involvement.
- Terrorism is the most frequently cited foreign policy problem and 91 percent favor military action to protect the country from an attack.
- The public is selective about when military intervention is appropriate, while strongly supporting diplomatic and economic approaches to handle most global issues.
