On Public Opinion in Time of War

Abstract

Is public support for military intervention as susceptible to mounting casualties and other costs as many in the media, government leaders, and scholars believe when the conflicts become prolonged? During such conflicts, how does public opinion affect presidential decision making? At first glance, it seems that changes in presidential policy are influenced by public opinion, but further research indicates that presidents? concerns about public opinion and approval do not always cause changes in their policies. This is due to continued public support for sustained war efforts, despite increasing casualties and other costs of war.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA514232

Entities

People

  • Brian S. Anthony

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Governments
  • Information Science
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • New York
  • North Vietnam
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Opinion
  • Public Policy
  • South Vietnam
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies