Poll: Most Americans skeptical of US involvement overseas

Most Americans are wary of United States involvement in affairs beyond its own borders, and are split by deep partisan divides over the major threats facing the country, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center.

A majority — 57 percent — of the country believes that the U.S. should “deal with its own problems and let other countries deal with their own problems as best they can,” the survey found. Sixty-two percent of Republicans agreed with the statement, compared to 47 percent of Democrats.

{mosads}Just 37 percent said that the U.S. should help other countries.

Forty-one percent — a plurality of respondents — claimed that the country does too much to try and solve world problems, compared with 27 percent who say it does too little and 28 percent who claim it does the right amount.

The findings from the survey, released Thursday, highlight the skepticism about American involvement in the international order that has helped to propel Donald Trump and his unorthodox foreign policy doctrine into the slot of presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

Trump supporters are particularly wary of America’s overseas commitments, the poll found.

Among Trump supporters, 65 percent said the U.S.’s global economic ties would lead to lower wages and lost jobs. Among Republicans as a whole, 55 percent of respondents expressed those fears about global economic engagement. Only 44 percent of Democrats said the same thing.

The partisan split was also stark on questions of defense spending and concerns about the greatest threats facing America.

Among Republicans, 61 percent say that the U.S. should increase military spending, a 24 percent increase from 2013. Among Democrats, only 20 percent say the same thing.

When asked to describe the major threats facing the U.S., fully 91 percent of Republicans pointed to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria as the No. 1 concern. Seventy-six percent of Democrats felt the same way.

For Democrats, the No. 1 major threat affecting U.S. well-being was climate change, which was identified by 77 percent of party supporters. Only 26 percent of Republicans expressed similar concerns.

The survey was conducted April 12-19 and interviewed 2,008 American adults.