politics

Exactly, if anything I have too much confidence in the American military

Agreed on all counts. The question is way too abstract to draw any meaningful conclusions from it. I don’t even know why they would bother posing the question or printing the results. Everything about the original is just meaningless.

I agree, but maybe the ambiguity and subjectivity of the word "confidence" is the point.

It's like when researchers measure the "happiest country in the world." Happiness is subjective, but that's the whole point. Whatever makes you happy is happiness and an objective, rigid definition would compromise the research. Maybe it's the same with "confidence"?

It's an open-ended opinion question.

Yeah I'm confused by this too. Everyone I've talked to has just expressed concern in regards to who's running the military, the direction its internal politics are going, sexual assault issues. I've never met anyone who thinks it couldn't execute its mission properly. As a veteran, trust me people, there are some white-hot shit people at the tip of the spear and running all the way down it too. There's shit bags for sure but I'm pretty confident in it meeting most expectations.

I'm wondering if this is the "military has gone woke" crowd, or if this is part of deep state conspiracy theories. The decline in confidence started pre-Trump though, so I'm not sure that tracks. It could just be a part of the overall decline in institutions as a whole. Interesting result though whatever the cause.

Edit: Someone linked the Gallop poll below. They don't really offer an explanation, buts it's notable that the drop was biggest among Republicans, down from 91 percent to 60 something percent. Democrats and independents confidence also fell, but not nearly as much. I'm still not sure what to make of this.

I believe 1975 was when they started asking the question regularly. That's normally how Gallup does their historical data in these articles.

Hopefully never. What we want is a draft that includes males and females. I can see a future where we use the draft for humanitarian reasons with the environmental and climate crisis. That means more college educated middle to upper class draftees, those with experience. Sorry Millennials and Zoomers.

Did the link not come through? I thought I included it when I posted.

That would line up well with what had happened in the past. Approval of military action in Syria had like a 70 point swing under Trump vs Obama with conservatives. Liberals pretty much stayed at the same level.