18th Annual Student Research Conference
Social Science
Public Opinion and Military Intervention in Iraq:
The Impact of Race, Gender, and Political Alienation
Eugene Walton
Dr. Marijke Bruening, Faculty Mentor
This study explores how race, gender and alienation affect public opinion on military deployments abroad. This study extends the literature concerning these three variables. Specifically, the theories and predominant patterns of past studies have been applied to the newest case (the U.S./Iraq war). The subjects came from the 2002 National Election Survey. The model enjoyed a respectable sample size of 673 respondents. Confirming prior studies, it was found that being female and having a lower economic status, continues to correlate highly with diminished support for military deployments abroad. Conversely, political affiliation with the President’s party and approval of the President’s job performance leads individuals to support military interventions abroad at higher rates. Surprisingly, Blacks were not found to significantly disfavor war in comparison with non-blacks, and alienation was found to be completely insignificant in determining support for the U.S. deployment to Iraq. This finding is theory infirming, as both of these variables demonstrate a break with previous research.
Keywords: Iraq, Public Opinion, Blacks, George W. Bush
Topic(s):Political Science
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 45-1
Location: VH 1416
Time: 2:15