Belief that the American military stands as the number one military power in the world has dropped 10 percent since 2010, according to a poll showing confidence in the military at its lowest level since Bill Clinton was president.
“A slim majority of Americans (54 percent) say the United States is the No. 1 military power in the world, down from 64 percent in 2010, with an average of 59% since 1993,” Gallup reported today. “The lowest reading, 51 percent, was recorded in 1999 as the U.S. was involved in a NATO-led multinational air campaign against Kosovo.”
Confidence in U.S. military strength increased throughout George W. Bush’s administration, according to Gallup, with 56 percent in 2001 saying the nation had the number one military and 60 percent saying the same in 2006, before hitting the high of 64 percent in 2010.
“Men are much more likely than women to say the U.S. is No. 1 militarily, and post-graduates are significantly more likely than those with less formal education to believe this,” Gallup noted.
