Which Wars do Americans Approve of? đź‘Ťđź‘Ž
![Which Wars do Americans Approve of? đź‘Ťđź‘Ž](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.voronoiapp.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fvoronoi-Which-Wars-do-Americans-Approve-of--20240510131243.webp&w=3840&q=75)
What we’re showing
The results of a YouGov survey that polled American adults on which wars they believe were the right or wrong decision to partake in.
Key takeaways
- WW1, WW2, and The Gulf War are the only three conflicts where a majority of respondents said it was the right decision.
- The Vietnam and Iraq wars had the highest share of "wrong" responses
Dataset
Conflict | Right decision (%) | Not sure (%) | Wrong decision (%) |
---|---|---|---|
WWII (1939-1945) | 67 | 24 | 9 |
WWI (1914-1918) | 57 | 32 | 11 |
The Gulf War (1990-1991) | 38 | 35 | 27 |
Korean War (1950-1953) | 33 | 43 | 24 |
Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) | 21 | 43 | 36 |
Cambodian campaign (1970) | 16 | 49 | 35 |
Invasion of Panama (1989) | 24 | 51 | 25 |
Kosovo War (1999) | 21 | 52 | 27 |
Yemeni Civil War (2015-present) | 15 | 53 | 32 |
Syrian Civil War (2011-present) | 22 | 75 | 3 |
Afghanistan War (2001-2021) | 33 | 29 | 38 |
Iraq War (2003-2011) | 28 | 27 | 45 |
Vietnam War (1955-1975) | 18 | 30 | 52 |
Data sources
This poll was conducted online on November 30 - December 5, 2023 among 1,000 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel using sample matching. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.