Most Americans want to keep US troops out of foreign conflicts: Poll

Poll: Most Americans want to keep US troops out of foreign conflicts

Voters in both parties favor policies that keep US troops out of foreign wars
Republicans view China as the top threat, while Dems more wary of Russia
Younger voters are most likely to oppose sending military aid to Israel

Updated: Dec 4, 2023 / 06:38 AM CST

(NewsNation) — When it comes to major foreign conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and potentially Taiwan, Americans across the political spectrum prefer proposals that don’t involve putting U.S. troops on the ground, according to a new NewsNation/DecisionDesk HQ poll released Monday.

Regarding U.S. involvement in the Israel-Hamas war, nearly 70% of Democrats and independents, as well as, two-thirds of Republicans favor policies that don’t send American troops to the Middle East.

The margin was similar for the Ukraine-Russia war, with three-quarters of Republican respondents and 68% of Democrat respondents preferring proposals that avoid sending troops.

A similar alignment of sentiments was seen among respondents from both parties concerning a potential war between China and Taiwan. Around 60% of Republicans and Democrats preferred strategies that did not send U.S. troops to the area. About a quarter of those polled from each party said they were “not sure” what their view was.

“These numbers look like the parties are coming together in terms of their attitudes on foreign policy,” said Mick Mulvaney, NewsNation’s political and economic contributor.

The shift toward non-intervention is particularly noteworthy for Republicans, given the party’s more hawkish approach over the past 40 years, Mulvaney pointed out.

However, the similarities in sentiment ended there. Respondents from both parties viewed the conflict in East Asia differently — a third of Republicans thought a potential war with China and Taiwan posed the biggest threat to U.S. national security compared to 23% of Democrats who said the same.

Conversely, Democrats are more worried about the war in Ukraine than Republicans — 27% of respondents on the left view that conflict as the top threat versus 17% of those on the right.

Fifty-six percent of Republicans believe China is the primary threat to the United States today, whereas, 33% of Democrats felt Russia was the main threat. Independents were most likely to say China (40%) was the biggest threat, the poll found.

The partisan split was most pronounced when respondents were asked about Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Nearly three-quarters of Democrats approve of what the president has done compared to 23% of Republicans.

But on specifics, members of both parties were more aligned. About 20% of Democrats and 26% of Republicans said the U.S. should provide Israel with unconditional military aid but avoid sending troops. Around 20% of respondents in each party think U.S. troops should stay out of it but the aid should be conditional.

The widest difference in opinion appeared to be generational, not political. Nearly one-third of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 said the U.S. should lead cease-fire negotiations and not provide Israel with military aid or send troops. Just 22% of those over 55 supported that strategy.