Optimistic Americans More Likely to Support Cuts to Military

Online, June 3, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Recently, the Media and Public Opinion Research Group (MPO) reported that over half of the American public believes the country is moving in the wrong direction. However, despite this consensus, few can agree on what actions are necessary to rectify the current situation. Research by the Media and Public Opinion Research Group (MPO) concludes that regarding budget cuts and foreign intervention, the American public is divided based on their opinion of the country's current direction.

The MPO Research Group finds that of those who are pessimistic about the direction of the country, half would prefer budget cuts to foreign aid. Less than a third of those who believe the country is headed in the right direction favor cuts to foreign development, and instead are much more likely to prefer cuts to military spending than their dissatisfied counterparts.

These findings complement a March 2013 survey by the MPO Research Group, which finds that among those who believe the country is headed in the right direction, almost half believe the United States should provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Syria. Those who disagree with the country's direction were much more likely to favor no intervention.

However, despite MPO Research Group data finding bipartisan agreement between voters in favor of cutting foreign aid, this research indicates that the American public at large may be more divided. While American's agree that the United States lost the war in Iraq regardless of their opinion on the country's current direction, it appears that the loss has impacted individual's preference for budget allocation very differently.

Yet, this discrepancy may be more influenced by American's perceived understanding of current fiscal policy. As reported in April, two thirds of Americans wrongly believe that the United States allocates more than 2% of the federal budget to foreign aid. Indeed, foreign aid is relatively absent from most official budget discussions, while about 40% of sequester mandated spending cuts are already affecting defense spending.

Ultimately, it seems that although the country generally believes changes are needed, confusion and conflicting viewpoints mar any agreement on what that change should be.

Data was collected over the month of April 2013, from a poll of 516 respondents. The margin of error is 4.31%.