Poll: Voters Don’t Want Military Inserting Itself into Social Issues

Americans strongly believe the U.S. military should focus on defending America and avoid inserting itself into politicized social issues.

An exclusive poll from America’s New Majority Project revealed that Americans believe the U.S. military has become more political in recent years.

• The poll also showed clear preferences for candidates who want the military to avoid inserting itself into social issues.

WHY IT MATTERS – The Biden administration has been criticized for implementing a social agenda across the government, including the U.S. military, that includes controversial elements of gender ideology and critical race theory.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• 83 percent agree that the U.S. military should focus on defending America from foreign threats and avoid inserting itself into heavily politicized social issues.
  • Strong agreement increases with older age groups.
• 59 percent say the U.S. military is “more politicized” today compared to previous years, with respondents more likely to answer “neither” than “less politicized.”
• 57 percent agree that recent policy changes around transgender rights and racial equity instruction make the military “more politicized,” with respondents more likely to answer “neither” than “less politicized.”
• Agreement drops off with younger and minority voters, though still they still achieve plurality agreement.
• A smaller plurality (39 percent) believes these new transgender and race relations policies will hurt recruitment.
  • Younger and minority voters, however, are more likely to say these policies will improve recruitment, or neither hurt nor improve recruitment.
• By a 52-35 margin, voters prefer a Republican candidate who says the U.S. military should avoid engaging in heavily politicized social issues over a Democratic candidate who supports an “all of government” approach to achieving social change.
  • This is a 15-point swing toward the GOP candidate compared to the generic ballot.

BOTTOM LINE – Candidates and activists are on much firmer ground with a message of keeping the military focused on defending America and avoiding politics than they are focusing on the specifics of transgender ideology and critical race theory, which alienates younger and minority voters. . . . (read more and see the report on America’s New Majority Project)