Public Support for Nuclear Disarmament: Experimental Evidence

• In Event: International Survey Experiments on Nuclear Weapons

Abstract

A wave of recent survey experiments has revealed new findings for the study of nuclear politics related to proliferation, deterrence, and non-use norms. Yet, nuclear disarmament remains critically understudied using experimental methods. Opinion polls indicate widespread support in many countries for eliminating nuclear weapons, but little academic research has assessed public knowledge of disarmament processes. In this paper, we report on two novel survey experiments on nationally representative samples of American and Japanese adults. Study 1 analyzes how learning about the North Korean position on “denuclearization” affects U.S. public support for President Trump’s nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang. Study 2 evaluates how exposure to the Abe administration’s positions on nuclear policy changes Japanese public support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Taken together, these experiments yield important conclusions for understanding public opinion and improving policymaking on nuclear disarmament issues.

Authors

• Jonathon Baron

• Stephen Herzog, Yale University