Economic Anxiety and Support for War

• In Event: American Identity, Insecurity, and Its Consequences

Abstract

Military involvement during a time of economic strain can present leaders with a problem of justifying an immense use of resources overseas that could be used at home. Such concerns, however, presume that public opinion regarding the state of the economy influences attitudes about the war. This paper analyzes a three-wave panel survey of a nationally-representative sample conducted in 2011 and 2012 and focuses upon anger and anxiety about the economy to test the hypothesis that people who feel negatively about economic conditions are less likely to support the ongoing war in Afghanistan. The results indicate that people with higher levels of anxiety about economic conditions were less likely to support continued military involvement in Afghanistan and contribute to an expanding body of research regarding the influence of emotions upon public opinion.

Author

• Philip Paolino, University of North Texas