Survey: Americans’ Military Support is Growing
Survey: Americans’ Military Support is Growing

Confidence in the military is increasing, and Americans support increased defense spending, according to a new survey from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
“The American people … want a U.S. military capable of deterring autocratic powers like China and Russia and believe U.S. forces should maintain a global presence across multiple theaters to address the diverse array of threats we face,” the survey found.
The 2024 survey, the seventh annual Reagan National Defense Survey, was conducted Nov. 8–14 by a bipartisan survey team and included interviews of 2,510 American respondents. Its findings were released Dec. 5.
Compared to last year, Americans’ confidence in the military is rebounding. This year, 51% of Americans reported “a great deal of confidence in the U.S military,” which is up 6 percentage points from the previous survey.
The military is still the most trusted public institution in the U.S., ahead of the police and law enforcement, the president, the Supreme Court, news organizations and Congress, the report found.
Just under eight-tenths of respondents indicated they “want the government to spend more on the military, and a bipartisan supermajority of respondents are “concerned that the cost of the national debt will force cuts to defense spending,” the report found.
The majority of Americans view maintaining military bases around the world “as a critical component of deterrence and rapid response,” and over four-tenths of respondents indicated the military “should be large enough to win simultaneous wars against both China and Russia,” according to the report.
Americans support a strong, global U.S. military presence. “Year after year, this survey shows continued, unwavering support for peace through strength,” Roger Zakheim, Washington director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, said in a news release. “Trust and confidence in the military is rebounding after hitting a low in recent years, and Americans support increased defense spending to build a military able to deter and defeat adversaries in multiple theaters.”
The complete survey is available here.