Americans are divided on whether the government is spending too little, too much or the right amount on the military, Gallup said Thursday, highlighting a major drop in the share who feel spending is inadequate even before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The pollsters conducted a survey in early February as Russian forces coalesced on the Ukraine border and found 32% said defense spending was insufficient, 31% said it was excessive and 34% said it was on-target.
The result is a big shift from two years ago, under former President Donald Trump, when defense spending jumped and a record high 50% said the spending level was about right. Only 17% said it was too little at the time.
Gallup said much of the shift is driven by Republicans. Two years ago, nearly three-quarters of Republicans said spending was about right, but only 23% hold that view today. The percentage of Republicans who say the U.S. spends too little on defense has nearly tripled, from 22% to 62%.
The pollsters said attitudes could swing further depending on attitudes about the Russia–Ukraine war and if the U.S. becomes entangled in the fight.
“Historically, Americans’ attitudes about defense and the military have varied according to current U.S. policy and international and domestic events. So far, the U.S. military has not been directly involved in the Russia–Ukraine war,” Gallup said. “The U.S. and its allies are using economic sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine to try to end the hostilities, hoping to avoid a larger war that would involve the U.S. and other NATO countries.”
Americans told Gallup the U.S. was spending too much on defense in the late 1960s and 1970s during the Vietnam War era and again in 1990 after the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union ended.
However, pluralities of Americans said the U.S. was spending too little in 1981, 2000 and 2001, and 2016 and 2017 at the end of Democratic presidential administrations.
“Republican presidential candidates seeking to replace those Democratic presidents made U.S. military strength a campaign issue,” Gallup said.
Gallup said its previous polls found two-thirds of Americans say it is important for the U.S. to be the No. 1 military force and about half say it has the top military in the world.