Militaries
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
and especially their troops are held in high regard in most countries. In the United States, military officers are regarded as having one of the most prestigious jobs.
While military support is very high in most countries, there is variation. While 10% of Canadians viewed the military as "not at all favorable," only 3% of Britons had a "low" or "very low" view of the military. 65% of Russians believe their military does their job "just about always" or "most of the time". In the United States, 89% of white Americans had a "very" or "somewhat" favorable opinion of the military, compared to 77% of Latinos and 72% of blacks.
Change over time
In the United States, public opinion of the military was very low during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. The public perception increased considerably between the early 1970s to the late 1990s, with the exception of briefly after the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, when support was around 60%, the percentage of Americans who said they had a "very favorable" view of the US military hovered between 20% and 30%. By 2007, 47% claimed a "very favorable" view of the military and 84% expressed a "favorable" view.
Opposition to the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
was comparable to opposition to the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, but unlike the Vietnam War, opposition to the Iraq War did not correlate with a significant decrease in public opinion of military personnel themselves.
See also
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Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War (before) or anti-Vietnam War movement (present) began with demonstrations in 1965 against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War and grew into a broad social move ...
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Iraq War protests
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Opposition to the Iraq War
Significant opposition to the Iraq War occurred worldwide, both before and during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition, and throughout the subsequent occupation. People and groups opposing the war include the gove ...
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Protests against the war in Afghanistan (2001–2014)
References
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Military
War
Public opinion