75 years after the end of the Second World War, the use of nuclear weapons against Japan was still a divisive issue in the United States. When surveyed, respondents aged 55 and over were more than twice as likely to believe that the attacks were the right course of action when compared to respondents from the younger age groups. In fact, even within these age groups, respondents in the 55+ category were more than twice as likely to say the attacks were justified, whereas respondents in the 25-34 bracket were almost twice as likely to say the attacks were wrong.
U.S. public opinion on whether the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were right or wrong in 2020, by age group
Original question: "On August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped, over Nagasaki. Do you think the decision to use nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II was right or wrong?"
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YouGov. (August 10, 2020). U.S. public opinion on whether the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were right or wrong in 2020, by age group [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1384472/hiroshima-nagasaki-opinion-age/
YouGov. "U.S. public opinion on whether the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were right or wrong in 2020, by age group." Chart. August 10, 2020. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1384472/hiroshima-nagasaki-opinion-age/
YouGov. (2020). U.S. public opinion on whether the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were right or wrong in 2020, by age group. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1384472/hiroshima-nagasaki-opinion-age/
YouGov. "U.S. Public Opinion on Whether The Atomic Attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Were Right or Wrong in 2020, by Age Group." Statista, Statista Inc., 10 Aug 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1384472/hiroshima-nagasaki-opinion-age/
YouGov, U.S. public opinion on whether the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were right or wrong in 2020, by age group Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1384472/hiroshima-nagasaki-opinion-age/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
U.S. public opinion on whether the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were right or wrong in 2020, by age group [Graph], YouGov, August 10, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1384472/hiroshima-nagasaki-opinion-age/