May. 10, 2012 - 01:24PM |
By ZACHARY
FRYER-BIGGS
Facing mounting debt and
a slow-to-recover economy, 62 percent of Americans prefer defense cuts over
other debt reduction options, a survey by the Program for Public Consultation
found.
The results, released in
a May 10 report, outlined the responses of survey takers to a series of
arguments for and against defense cuts. Faced with the choice of raising
revenues, including tax increases, reducing other discretionary spending or
reducing defense, a clear majority preferred defense cuts.
Among Republicans, 49
percent preferred cutting defense, 52 percent of independents preferred the
option and 78 percent of Democrats agreed.
The survey, conducted in
mid-April over the Internet, drew on the responses of 665 American adults and
had a margin of error of 4.8 percent.
Given the option to set
a level for 2013 defense spending, 76 percent of respondents cut spending
compared with 2012. More than two-thirds of respondents in all three
self-identified voting categories chose to reduce defense spending.
Part of the interest in
cutting defense may be the result of surprise at the magnitude of defense
spending. A majority said that defense spending is more than expected when
compared with other discretionary spending, historical trends and spending by
potential enemies.
A plurality said the
spending was larger than expected when compared with Social Security and
Medicare, while a plurality said that defense spending is less then expected
when shown as a percentage of gross domestic product.
“What is striking is
that it appears that the American people, unlike Congress, are able to
thoughtfully recognize the validity of arguments both for and against cutting
defense spending and still come to hard and even bold decisions,” Steve Kull,
who helped run the survey, said in a press release accompanying the report.
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