National Defense

Americans Mostly Favorable on Defense Secretary Gates

Democrats view him more positively than Republicans

November 6, 2009
Americans view Secretary of Defense Robert Gates positively to the extent they are familiar with him. Forty-nine percent have a favorable opinion of Gates, with 19% unfavorable and 33% unsure. Though Gates is a Republican, Democrats view him more favorably than Republicans.More ...

Americans Still Prefer Republicans for Combating Terrorism

Majority of independents and most Republicans favor GOP on the issue

September 11, 2009
Eight years after the 9/11 attacks, Americans by a slight margin choose the Republican over the Democratic Party -- 49% vs. 42% -- as the party that will better protect the United States from terrorism and other threats. Democrats lead, 50% vs. 39%, on maintaining prosperity.More ...

Americans Divided on Investigating Bush-Era Interrogations

Forty-seven percent approve and 49% disapprove

September 4, 2009
Americans divide evenly (47% approve, 49% disapprove) in their opinions about the Justice Department’s investigation into the use of harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects during the Bush years. Democrats mostly approve, and Republicans mostly disapprove.More ...

Americans’ Worry About Terrorism Nears 5-Year Low

But most think security measures put in place after 9/11 should remain

July 2, 2009
Americans’ level of worry about terrorism is near a five-year low -- with 36% saying they are very or somewhat worried that they or a family member will become a victim. However, 83% think the security measures put in place after 9/11 are still needed.More ...

Americans View North Korea as Greater Threat Than Iran

Both easily beat out Iraq and Afghanistan as perceived direct threats to U.S. security

June 18, 2009
Fifty-one percent of Americans believe North Korea is a direct threat to U.S. security today, more than say this about Iran (46%), Iraq (35%), or any of the eight countries tested whose political climates or ongoing conflicts present a challenge to U.S. interests in the world.More ...

Americans Oppose Closing Gitmo and Moving Prisoners to U.S.

Public does not believe prison has weakened U.S. national security

June 3, 2009
Two-thirds of Americans (65%) oppose closing the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba and moving some of its prisoners to U.S. prisons, and 74% oppose moving the prisoners to their own states. The public is far from convinced that Guantanamo has weakened U.S. national security -- just 18% say this.More ...

Pelosi Gets Poor Marks for Handling Interrogation Matter

More disapprove than approve of speaker’s response

May 21, 2009
More Americans disapprove (47%) than approve (31%) of how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has handled the matter concerning the government’s use of harsh interrogation techniques. Meanwhile, majorities approve of the way Barack Obama and the CIA have responded.More ...

Slim Majority Wants Bush-Era Interrogations Investigated

Majority says use of harsh techniques on terrorism suspects was justified

April 27, 2009
A slim majority of Americans (51%) favor an investigation into the Bush administration’s use of harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects, but a majority of those following the story closely (58%) oppose it. At the same time, 55% of Americans say the use of such techniques was justified.More ...

Americans See Newer Threats On Par With Ongoing Conflicts

Concerns about Iran and North Korea similar to those about Afghanistan and Iraq

April 6, 2009
Americans are about as concerned about Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and drug violence in Mexico as they are about the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and international terrorism in general. At least 8 in 10 Americans express some level of concern about each.More ...

Americans More Upbeat About U.S. Defense Readiness

Shift mainly due to confidence surge among Democrats

March 26, 2009
Currently, 54% of Americans say the country’s national defense is about right, up from 41% a year ago. The change is mainly the result of a surge in this perception among Democrats, from 37% to 64%. Democrats also feel more comfortable with the level of defense spending than they did in 2008.More ...
  • See popular topics
  • See all topics

Topic Search

Use this search form to find within this topic.
GALLUP NEWS
Get Gallup News delivered to your inbox whenever we add content to the topic:

National Defense

Subscribe to this topic
Related Items
Americans Support Talking With Iran

Americans Support Talking With Iran

June 2, 2008

Almost Half of Americans Say Military Is Not Strong Enough

March 7, 2008
Americans Assess Options in Iraq

Americans Assess Options in Iraq

October 3, 2007

Just 1/3 of Pakistanis Satisfied With Counterterrorism Efforts

September 26, 2007

Military and National Defense

Terrorism in the United States

War on Terrorism

Scandal Threatens Colombians' Budding Trust in Government

March 14, 2007

Perceptions of "Too Much" Military Spending at 15-Year High

March 2, 2007

Gallup World Poll: South Korea's Political Dilemma

September 22, 2006
Copyright © 2009 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2009 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
Gallup®, A8™, Business Impact Analysis™, CE11®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names, Customer Engagement Index™, Drop Club®, Emotional Economy™, Employee Engagement Index™, Employee Outlook Index™, Follow This Path™, Gallup Brain®, Gallup Consulting®, Gallup Management Journal®, GMJ®, Gallup Press®, Gallup Publishing™, Gallup Tuesday Briefing®, Gallup University®, HumanSigma®, I10™, L3™, PrincipalInsight™, Q12®, SE25™, SF34®, SRI®, Strengths Spotlight™, Strengths-Based Selling™, StrengthsCoach™, StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsQuest™, TeacherInsight™, The Gallup Path®, and The Gallup Poll® are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. These materials are provided for noncommercial, personal use only. Reproduction prohibited without the express permission of Gallup, Inc.