A majority of Americans across the political spectrum and across all 50 states are broadly supportive of United States engagement with the United Nations. A new poll of 9,960 registered voters across the United States, conducted in early December, shows broad support for the United Nations — even across party lines.
The poll, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Better World Campaign, finds that 74% of all registered voters say it’s important for the United States to be a member of the United Nations, with over half saying it’s “very important.” To be sure, liberal leaning voters are more likely to have favorable views of the UN than more conservative voters, but even a majority of moderates (80%) and conservatives (60%) agree that it’s important for the U.S to be a member of the United Nations.
Uniquely, this poll offers a state-by-state breakdown of the image of the United Nations.
The poll also asked what issues were top of voters mind for the United States to address globally. Amid the covid-19 pandemic it is not surprising that voters cited global health as the top priority, followed by terrorism.
Congress, of course, has a role to play in shaping America’s relationship with the United States. Specifically, it is Congress that sets the appropriations levels that fund much of the United Nations work around the world. This is the cornerstone of America’s relationship with the United Nations — without American leadership, the United Nations is a far less effective institution. This means making dues payments to the United Nations on time and in full. To that end, the poll also finds strong support across the country for continued U.S. funding of the United Nations.
This strong and diverse support of the United Nations across the country may inform key decisions around funding in the coming weeks as the 117th Congress gets to work.
You can see the full polling results here