Public confidence in the US military hits its lowest point in two decades – only 60% of Americans say they have ‘a lot’ of trust in the armed forces, new research finds
- Research said only 60 percent of people have “a lot” or “quite a lot” of trust in the military
- Only 68 percent of GOP supporters responded positively, compared to 91 percent three years ago.
- Poll highlighted the poorly executed US exit from Afghanistan as one of the reasons for the decline
Public trust in the U.S. military has reached a 25-year low, with 40 percent of Americans now saying they don’t have much faith in the armed forces, a poll found.
According to the survey, only 60 percent of people have “a lot” or “quite a lot” of trust in the military.
It’s the lowest since 1997, according to Gallup, which led the poll.
The national decline is fueled by a massive slump in confidence among Republicans.
Only 68 percent of GOP supporters responded positively, compared to 91 percent three years ago.
Among Democrats, 62 percent said they were confident, compared to 68 percent last year.
According to the survey, only 60 percent of people have “a lot” or “quite a lot” of trust in the military. It’s the lowest since 1997, according to Gallup
Confidence plummeted “after the poorly executed exit from Afghanistan,” according to a Gallup report. Pictured: Hundreds of people gather at a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft outside Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, on Aug. 16, 2021
a Gallup report announcing the findings said: ‘At 60%, confidence in the military was last this low in 1997, and it hasn’t been lower since 1988, when confidence was 58%.
From the late 1970s to the early 1980s — during the Cold War and amid threats to American power, including the Iran hostage crisis — between 50% and 58% of Americans trusted the military.
Confidence generally improved during Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s.
It then rose after victory in the Gulf War (to a record high of 85% in 1991) and again after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
“Confidence generally remained above 70% for the next two decades, before falling to 69% in 2021 and falling further since then, following the poorly executed exit from Afghanistan.”
A US Marine grabs a baby over a barbed wire fence during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 19, 2021. The failed withdrawal from Afghanistan contributed to declining confidence in the US military
In June, the State Department quietly released an 87-page report condemning the Biden administration’s failure to prepare for Afghanistan’s rapid collapse at the hands of the Taliban in 2021.
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan ended in August 2021 with a chaotic operation that killed 13 US military personnel and hundreds of Afghan civilians.
In June, the State Department quietly released an 87-page report condemning the Biden administration’s failure to prepare for Afghanistan’s rapid collapse at the hands of the Taliban in 2021.
The research found serious pitfalls in leadership and questions about who was in charge before and during the chaos.
Gallup added: “With the US having completely withdrawn from both Iraq and Afghanistan, the two major military legacies of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the US, public confidence in the military has further declined.
“The declines this year occurred across all party identification groups, with Republicans most likely to express confidence and independents the least likely.”