Wait, WHAT? One-THIRD of Americans Aren’t Convinced We Should Have Sent Troops — To Fight World War II

Tommy ChristopherMay 29th, 2021, 1:50 pm
 
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 07: A trumpeter with a military honor guard pauses at the World War II Memorial during a wreath-laying ceremony to mark National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on December 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Dec. 7th, 1941, more than 2,400 Americans lost their lives in the surprise attack on a U.S. Naval station at Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. The attack was the catalyst for the United States' entry into World War II. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A new poll timed to Memorial Day shows that a surprising number of Americans say that the United States may have made a mistake in sending troops to fight in World War II.

An Economist/YouGov poll out this week asked respondents “Do you think the United States made a mistake sending troops to fight in the following wars?”

As expected, there were significant divisions over conflicts like the Vietnam War, with 48 percent responding that “yes” it was a mistake to send troops there, and narrower divisions for recent Middle East conflicts like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

And the decision to send troops to fight i World War II received more support than any other in the poll, but it was far from unanimous. A third of respondents said it either was a mistake to send troops to fight the Nazi-led Axis powers, or they weren’t sure if it was a mistake to contribute troops to the prevention of Nazi world domination.

While 68 percent said it wasn’t a mistake, 14 percent said it was, and an additional 18 percent weren’t sure. Skepticism was highest among respondents between the ages of 30 and 44, of whom a majority were either opposed to or unsure of sending troops to fight in WWII — 26% said it was a mistake and 25% were not sure.

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