New research from bi-partisan polling firms shows that the United Nations is quite popular with Americans — more popular, in fact than the current US president or the president-elect. The nationwide poll of 800 registered votes–split evenly between those who voted for Trump and Clinton — found that 61% have favorable view of the UN and 26% negative view. A further 88% support active US engagement at the United Nations and 81% agree that the USA is better able to achieve its foreign policy objectives when it “works with major allies and through international organizations.”
The context of these results in the midst of the current political climate is interesting. The poll was taken before the last major controversy at the UN, the vote at the Security Council condemning Israeli settlements. Following that vote, several senators called on the US to reduce its engagement at the United Nations. This poll suggests that would not be a popular course of action.
The same polling firms, commissioned by the Better World Campaign, have been conducting similar polls for the last several years, which gives observers the opportunity to view changes to the UN’s favorability ratings over time. In recent years, it’s been fairly consistent:
How the Trump administration approaches the UN is still very much up in the air. After the vote on Israeli settlements, Trump sent an ominous tweet. On the other hand, his picks for UN ambassador and Secretary of State have not demonstrated any animus toward the world body and may very well be among the 61% of registered voters who are favorably disposed to the United Nations.
You can read the full results of the poll, including detailed analysis from the bi-partisan pollsters here.