Public Opinion
Public support for the war decreased as the war raged on throughout the sixties and beginning part of the 1970s.
William L. Lunch and Peter W. Sperlich collected public opinion data measuring support for the war from 1965–1971. Support for the war was measured by a negative response to the question: "In view of developments since we entered the fighting in Vietnam, do you think the U.S. made a mistake sending troops to fight in Vietnam?" They found the following results.
| Month | Percentage who agreed with war |
|---|---|
| August 1965 | 52% |
| March 1966 | 59% |
| May 1966 | 49% |
| September 1966 | 48% |
| November 1966 | 51% |
| February 1967 | 52% |
| May 1967 | 50% |
| July 1967 | 48% |
| October 1967 | 44% |
| December 1967 | 48% |
| February 1968 | 42% |
| March 1968 | 41% |
| April 1968 | 40% |
| August 1968 | 35% |
| October 1968 | 37% |
| February 1969 | 39% |
| October 1969 | 32% |
| January 1970 | 33% |
| April 1970 | 34% |
| May 1970 | 36% |
| January 1971 | 31% |
| May 1971 | 28% |
After May 1971 Gallup stopped asking this question.
Read more about this topic: Opposition To The U.S. Involvement In The Vietnam War
Famous quotes containing the words public and/or opinion:
“No officer should be required or permitted to take part in the management of political organizations, caucuses, conventions, or election campaigns. Their right to vote and to express their views on public questions, either orally or through the press, is not denied, provided it does not interfere with the discharge of their official duties. No assessment for political purposes on officers or subordinates should be allowed.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western World. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity—much less dissent.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)