Does the Public Favor Defense Budget Cuts?

January 27, 2012 by IPB

This analysis from Steven Kull at World Public Opinion shows how ready Americans are to cut military spending. Polling on the subject reveals that less informed respondents are less likely to favor cuts. GDAMS participants should focus on raising peoples’ awareness of just how wasteful and excessive military spending is, and what human cost that carries.

Kull writes:

“As respondents are given more information, support for reductions rises. When Quinnipiac University in March simply told respondents that defense, Social Security and Medicare together constitute more than half of the federal budget, 54% favored cutting defense spending.

And when they are asked to choose between defense and other programs, defense is consistently the most popular program to cut. When CBS/NY Times, on several occasions over the least year asked respondents to choose where they would prefer to cut Medicare, social security or the military, 45-55 percent chose the military, 16-21 percent Medicare, 13-17 percent Social Security.”