A new nationwide survey by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute found that most Americans continue to support an active US role in global affairs, with many believing that military strength and international engagement remain essential to the country’s security and prosperity.
Released as the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, the annual Reagan Institute Summer Survey found that 61% of Americans believe the US should play a leading role in international affairs, while 27% prefer the country to adopt a less engaged and more reactive approach.
The survey also found that support for international engagement remains about 20 percentage points higher than it was several years ago.
Younger MAGA Republicans favour international engagement
For the first time, the survey included an oversample of self-identified MAGA Republicans under the age of 30.
The findings challenge the perception that younger MAGA Republicans favour isolationism. Among those surveyed, 72% said the US should be more engaged and take the lead in international affairs, while 19% preferred the country to be less engaged and respond to events instead.
Support for the principle of ‘peace through strength’ also remained high. Overall, 82% of Americans agreed that a strong US military is essential to maintaining peace and prosperity at home and abroad, with majorities recorded across political parties.
Partisan differences emerge on foreign policy
Despite broad support for American leadership, the survey indicated growing political differences on several foreign policy issues.
Republican support for US international leadership has remained stable, while Democratic support has declined over the past year. Republicans have also become more sceptical of NATO, whereas Democrats continue to express strong support for the alliance.
On Iran, the survey found that Americans continue to regard preventing the country from acquiring nuclear weapons as important to US security, although the issue has become more politically divided than it was a year ago.
Roger Zakheim, director of the Ronald Reagan Institute, said the findings showed that President Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy principles remained relevant as the US approaches its 250th anniversary.
He said Americans continued to believe in ‘peace through strength’, confronting adversaries and supporting freedom abroad, while warning that bipartisan consensus on key foreign policy issues was showing signs of strain.
The survey also found broad bipartisan agreement on China. In addition, 73% of Americans said the US has mostly been a force for good over the past two and a half centuries, including 82% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats.
Meanwhile, 62% of respondents said the description of the US as a ‘shining city upon a hill’, an expression closely associated with Reagan, still reflects the country today.
