Racial gap in attitudes on support for military actions

Abstract

Research on public support for military force has documented recurring Black–White differences, but less is known about Hispanic and Asian respondents or how racial gaps vary across military missions. Using Cooperative Election Study (CES) data from 2008 through 2024, the analysis compares White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents across six forms of military intervention and four presidential administrations. Black and Hispanic respondents are generally less supportive than White respondents. Support among Asian respondents varies more across missions. Several racial differences recur across administrations, while their size and direction vary by intervention type. Higher political interest is also associated with smaller racial gaps for several interventions, although the pattern is less consistent across outcomes. These results add a multiracial comparison to a literature centered largely on Black–White differences in support for military force.