Americans view military families more favorably than other U.S. institutions including the police, the presidency, Congress, the news media and even the military itself, according to a new Blue Star Families/YouGov survey.
Around nine in 10 Americans, 90 percent, said they have a favorable view of military families — higher than the military, which was at 83 percent favorability, police, with 73 percent, and the Supreme Court, which received 55 percent, according to survey numbers first reviewed by The Hill.
The presidency was barely over half, with 52 percent favorability, news media received 45 percent and Congress ranked the lowest, with a favorability rating at 36 percent.
“Our Blue Star Families / YouGov survey shows that military families are America’s most trusted institution,” Kathy Roth-Douquet, the CEO of Blue Star Families, said in a statement. Blue Star Families is a non-profit that represents and supports military families. The group has around 275,000 members in their network, according to the organization.
“It’s a trust we’ve earned at a time when trust is in a short supply. But there’s a gap between trust and the support our families need, and that presents a real opportunity for us to speak to Americans to have the backs of the military families in their own communities.”
More than half of Americans, 56 percent, said they think military families have a positive effect on the way things are developing in the U.S. That was, again, higher than all of the other entities, with news media and Congress being tied for the lowest at just 21 percent.
Around one-third of Americans, 35 percent, said the general public is aware of the challenges that life in the military poses on families. Another third of respondents, around 35 percent, said the public “truly” understands.
Close to half, 45 percent, said the public “truly” appreciates military families’ service.
In the survey, two-thirds of Americans said the U.S. will be involved in a “major” conflict in the next 3-5 years. The same percentage said military families play a crucial role in the mission readiness of the U.S. military. More than half of respondents, 55 percent, said they believe military families play a central role in the country’s national security.
A majority of Americans believe military families should be cared for.
Around 85 percent said the U.S. has the responsibility to care for military families. Another 71 percent agreed that Americans have a responsibility to care for those families. Only one-third of respondents said they’ve done something in the past year to help military personnel or those families.
“There is a military family in every zip code in America. At Blue Star Families, we challenge every American to do your part to have the backs of military families,” Roth-Douquet said.
The survey was conducted from May 3-9 among 1,500 U.S. adults. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 2.75.