"Did the US Make a Mistake Sending Troops to Vietnam?" Public Survey
Item
Title
"Did the US Make a Mistake Sending Troops to Vietnam?" Public Survey
Subject
American public opinion, Vietnam War, Gallup survey
Description
This graph, conducted by the Pew Research Center, traces the trajectory of American public opinion regarding the U.S. government's decision to send troops to Vietnam. The question is whether they made a mistake to engage in the war. As seen in the graph, in the beginning of the war in 1965, a majority of American people believed that the government did not make a mistake sending troops to defend democracy agaisnt the spread of communism. However, this belief shifted over time. By 1973, this number dropped from 60% to 29%, almost half of the initial percentage, suggesting that more Americans realized that the war was a mistake. This signifcant change may be attributed to journalism, especially television coverage of the war that provoked people's sympathy for soldiers and innocent civilians, fostering the rise of antiwar movment.
Creator
Jodie T. Allen, Senior Editor, Pew Research Center
Date
November 23, 2009
Place
United States of America
Type
Public survey
Source
https://www.pewresearch.org/2009/11/23/polling-wars-hawks-vs-doves/
Rights
Pew Research Center
Format
Online article
Contributor
Connie Tran
