Voters Split Over Continued Funding for Overseas Wars

One of the most important issues for the 2024 presidential election is how each candidate will handle the ongoing conflicts overseas. However, if either candidate is looking for a popular stance on whether to support more aid and funding for foreign wars, they are out of luck, as the latest Economist/YouGov poll found voters are divided on whether they favor increased funding and U.S. support for these conflicts.

The poll, conducted Sept. 21-24 with 1,236 likely voters, found that when voters were asked if they supported increasing military aid to Ukraine, 26% supported an increase, 31% supported decreasing military aid, and 28% supported maintaining the current level. Democrats were most in favor of giving more aid, with 45% support, while 44% of Republicans favored decreasing aid.

On the more pressing issue of Ukraine using U.S. weapons to carry out attacks inside Russia, 51% supported such use, while only 25% disapproved. Currently, the use of long-range U.S. munitions to attack targets in Russia is a contentious subject. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested the authorization for the weapons, stating, “We need to have this long-range capability so that Russia is motivated to seek peace.”

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that if the U.S. and NATO decide to authorize the use of long-range missiles in Russia, “it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, and European countries, in the war in Ukraine.” He added that if the U.S. approves Ukraine’s use of U.S. missiles deep inside Russia, “it will mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are fighting Russia.”

In the foreign conflict in the Middle East, voters are less favorable toward increased aid. When asked if they support Israel carrying out attacks using weapons supplied by the U.S. military, 36% approved, while 41% disapproved. This also largely followed party lines, as 61% of Republicans approved, while 59% of Democrats disapproved. Regarding whether the U.S. should increase aid to Israel, 18% said the U.S. should, while 38% said the U.S. should decrease aid.

Many poll respondents disapprove of increased support for Israel due to disapproval of the Israeli response to the Oct. 7 attacks. According to the poll, 32% believe the Israeli response to Hamas attacks has been “too harsh,” while 17% said it was “not harsh enough.” Additionally, 38% said that Israel is committing “genocide” against Palestinian civilians, while 32% said it is not, and 31% were unsure.

Another point of hesitancy about continued support for Israel is the possibility of a wider war. Of likely voters, 56% said that the war between Israel and Hamas will likely lead to a wider war involving other countries, while only 16% said this was “not very likely” or “not at all likely.” Another 12% said “it already has led to a wider war.”

One of the groups that has already joined the war is Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization based primarily in southern Lebanon, close to the Israel-Lebanon border. Despite Hezbollah’s air attacks into Israel since Oct. 7, the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, only 39% of voters approved of Israel’s attack in Lebanon last week, which used explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies, while 37% disapproved.

Although the U.S. has partnered with Lebanon and provided over $5.5 billion in aid to bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces and “counter Hezbollah’s narrative and influence,” only 10% of respondents in the poll said they consider Lebanon an “ally” or “friendly” to the United States. Another 48% said Lebanon is “unfriendly” or an “enemy,” and 42% were “not sure” if it is an ally or enemy.