In 2024, Americans will have a lot on their plates, including a crucial election to decide who will serve as president or run for office again. However, the world does not stop for an American election; Americans are still concerned about several international crises in addition to other matters of global importance.
National Security imperatives
When asked which long-term foreign policy objectives the United States should prioritize, most people think that stopping terrorist attacks (73%), limiting the entry of illegal narcotics (64%), and stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction (63%) are the top three. Preserving the United States’ military superiority over other nations (53%) and stopping the spread of contagious illnesses (52%) are regarded by more than half of Americans as the two principal foreign policy duties. According to around half of Americans, limiting China’s and Russia’s influence and power should be top goals. The U.S. intelligence agency recently released its yearly threat assessment, which placed a strong emphasis on those nations’ growing military ties and their capacity to sway international opinion against American interests.
Reducing global warming (44%) and encouraging other nations to shoulder more of the burden of upholding international law (42%) are seen as the two top objectives by less than half of Americans. On these two subjects, there are significant political differences: 15% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe that climate change should be a key concern, compared to 70% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.
Compared to 33% of Democrats, 54% of Republicans believe that requiring other nations to bear a greater share of the expenses associated with upholding international law should be a key priority. All told, most Americans believe that all 22 of the long-term foreign policy objectives we surveyed should get at least some attention. However, about three out of ten Americans believe that there should be no priority placed on assisting Israel (31%), advancing democracy (28%), or aiding Ukraine (27%).
Economic interests and trade
Four out of ten Americans believe that the main priority is to curtail the influence and strength of Iran and North Korea. (The poll was carried out before Iran’s massive missile strike on Israel on April 13.) Additionally, around one-third agree that the United States is a pioneer in artificial intelligence, a field that worries governments everywhere. Less than one-third of Americans rank resolving the Israeli-Palestinian problem or bolstering the United Nations and NATO as their top foreign policy priorities. These are aims that center on international participation. Merely 25% of Americans place greater importance on advancing human rights abroad, setting the standard for space research, and lowering military deployments abroad. Comparable percentages state that backing Israel (22%) and Ukraine (23%) are important concerns. The Biden administration’s two main foreign policy aims, supporting global democracy and providing relief to refugees escaping conflict worldwide, rank lower on this list of priorities than they should. Approximately two out of ten Americans rank these as their top worries. These evaluations coincide with a recent increase in asylum requests worldwide. Even under the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Americans have generally ranked promoting democracy as the least important foreign policy goal when asked about it in Center polls.
Addressing global challenges
According to the 3,600 American citizens surveyed, foreign policy is still a political matter. Republicans place a high priority on preventing terrorism, cutting down on the importation of illicit narcotics, and preserving our military superiority over other countries. Democrats, on the other hand, place more emphasis on combating climate change, stopping the spread of WMDs, and stopping terrorist acts. While there are significant age disparities on many of the policy objectives listed, young folks are generally less likely than older Americans to state that the issues we inquired about are of the utmost importance. The exceptions include addressing climate change, lowering military deployments abroad, and advancing and preserving human rights overseas; among these, Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 are noticeably more inclined to give high priority than older Americans.
In conclusion, Even with these considerations, most Americans prioritize domestic policy above international policy: 83% of respondents believe that President Joe Biden should prioritize domestic policy above international policy, while only 14% disagree. Compared to 2019, when 74% of Americans said then-President Donald Trump should concentrate on domestic issues and 23% thought he should concentrate on foreign policy, Americans are even less inclined to emphasize international matters. The foreign policy goals of American parties vary substantially. The biggest difference, by a wide measure, is the 55 percentage point difference between Republicans and Democrats about how important they believe it is to address climate change (70% vs. 15%, respectively).
