Americans view China as biggest threat to national security, survey finds

For the first time since the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute began surveying Americans about national security four years ago, a majority of Americans — 52% — described China as the biggest threat to America. This is up from 21% four years ago. Russia came away 14% – a change from three years ago when 30% of Americans considered that country to be the biggest risk, while China came in second with 21%.

The survey found that thirty-seven percent of Americans listed East Asia as the region to which the US should devote most of its military forces, while the Middle East came in second with 17%.

2,523 Americans reached by phone and online between October 25 and November 7 were polled by Beacon Research. The survey, released on Wednesday, had a margin of error of 1.96%.

Roger Zakhim, Washington director of the Reagan Institute, said the survey showed a significant increase in Americans on both sides who see China as the biggest threat to the US.

Mr. Zakhim said, “The steady escalation on China shows how strong a challenge it is. People understand that the threat posed by China is not limited to a security threat, and it is related to economic concerns, political concerns and human-rights concerns,” he said. said.

The survey also shows the changing attitude of Americans towards the military.

The survey found that 45% of Americans have a “great deal” of confidence in the military, a drop from 70% three years ago. An additional 10% of respondents said they had “not much” confidence in the military, compared to 2% three years ago.

Over the years, the US military has been deployed several times on US streets, including during protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill. This may have contributed to the perception that the army has been politicized, Mr. Jakhim said.

Respondents who have high faith and confidence in the military say they respect service members, even though others share concerns about the military’s politicization and view it increasingly negatively, Mr. Zakhim he said.

“This general feeling of negativity mostly comes from the political leadership,” he said, speculating about the reasons for the change in attitude. “It could be that elected officials and civilian leaders are politicizing the military.”

The figures indicate an 11% percent drop in appreciation for the military this year. In February, when the institute last asked the same question, 56% of Americans said they had a lot of trust in the military, and 6% said they didn’t have much.

Between the February and November surveys, the US made a rapid and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending its 20-year war and leaving behind thousands of Afghans who supported the US effort. Thirteen US soldiers were killed, 30 wounded and hundreds of Afghans killed when a suicide bomber detonated outside the airport gate in the final days of the war, the deadliest day in a decade.

Although the survey did not link the withdrawal to declining confidence in the military, respondents said they felt the war damaged US national security. According to the survey, 59% of Americans concluded that the war was “mostly a failure”, while 50% answered the same question in February. Nearly half—49% of respondents blamed President Biden for the US withdrawal, while 20% cited poor military planning.

Since the US departure on August 30, the Taliban have regained control of the country and imposed strict sanctions, especially on women. Economically, Afghanistan has collapsed, and the United Nations has warned of a humanitarian crisis, as millions plunge into poverty and threaten starvation.

48% of survey respondents said the Taliban takeover posed a “major threat” to US security.