U.S. Confidence in Military Hits Lowest Point in Over 20 Years

Confidence in the military has fallen to its lowest point in over 20 years in the United States, according to new data released by Gallup. In a survey conducted in June, 60 percent of respondents said that they had either a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the military. The last time it was this low was in 1997, and prior to that in 1988, when confidence levels dipped to 58 percent. Gallup analysts highlight how confidence in the military has declined since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Republicans have historically shown greater confidence in the U.S. military than Democrats, and while they still do so, the rate has dropped from 91 percent in 2020 to 68 percent in 2023. As of this year, confidence levels among Democrats stand at 62 percent, while Independents’ confidence are at 55 percent.

Belief in institutions has generally been on the decline in the U.S. in recent years. According to a wider Gallup poll, last year saw a drop in public confidence in 11 out of 16 institutions, including in the presidency and the Supreme Court. According to the poll conducted June 1-22, 2023, the five institutions with the lowest ratings were newspapers (18 percent), the criminal justice system (17 percent), television news (14 percent), big business (14 percent) and Congress (8 percent).