More Americans are feeling anxious about the nation's defense, with 34 percent saying the government doesn't spend enough on the military — the highest level since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a new poll shows.
By contrast,
the Gallup survey finds, 32 percent say the United States spends too much on defense.
The pollster, which released the findings Friday, noted surveys over the past 46 years have generally found voters more apt to say the government spends too much on the military. For example, Gallup noted, during the Vietnam War, at least half of the public said America spent too much on defense, and a majority felt similarly at the end of the Cold War around 1990, following a military buildup under President Ronald Reagan.
On the other hand, previous surveys have found few saying too little has been spent on the military, except between 2000 and 2002, which covered the 9/11 terrorists attacks, when more people thought there was too little allotted to defense, Gallup notes. Polling in 1981, shortly after Reagan's election, also held that view, Gallup states.
Since 2011, the feeling there's too little outlay on the Pentagon has gradually increased among the public — no matter their political affiliation. According to Gallup, more than half of Republicans think there's not enough spent on defense, along with a third of independents and 17 percent of Democrats.
The latest survey shows 44 percent think the military is "not strong enough," 42 percent said it's "about right" and 13 percent said it's "stronger than it needs to be."
The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The Hill notes the poll numbers come as America is trying to bolster military operations in the Middle East against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.
President Barack Obama unveiled a
fiscal 2016 budget that asks Congress to elevate sequestration budget ceilings starting in October by increasing defense and non-defense spending, with Republicans particularly concerned about
mandatory budget caps on the Pentagon.
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