Norms, Diplomatic Alternatives, and the Social Psychology of War Support

Aaron M. Hoffman, Christopher R. Agnew, Laura E. VanderDrift, Robert Kulzick

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using experiments, we show that subjects who are asked about their support for war without being told about diplomatic strategies to deal with crises back military operations at levels consistent with people who are told that the alternatives to war are of low quality. In contrast, subjects who are told that diplomacy could work to resolve conflicts express less support for military operations. These results suggest that, in the absence of conflicting evidence, people premise their support for war on the assumption that leaders use force as a last resort. Implications for the study of success as an influence on public attitudes about US military operations are considered.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3-28
Number of pages26
JournalJournal of Conflict Resolution
Volume59
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 19 2015

Keywords

  • experiments
  • public opinion
  • social psychology
  • success
  • war support

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Business, Management and Accounting
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Political Science and International Relations

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