How Do Millennials View Foreign Policy?

With the Millennial generation making up 23 percent of the American public, it is important to understand how Millennials view American foreign policy, and if this is different from how other generations view our role in the world.

The first Zumwalt-class destroyer, the largest ever built for the U.S. Navy, heads down the Kennebec River after leaving Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, on Dec. 7, 2015. The ship, which has stealth capabilities, is headed out to sea for the first time to undergo sea trials. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

There are an estimated 75.3 million Millennials—those ranging from ages 18 to 34—living in the United States today. With the Millennial generation making up 23 percent of the American public, it is important to understand how Millennials view American foreign policy, and if this is different from how other generations view our role in the world.

In a 2012 study, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 52 percent of Millennials would prefer that the United States take a less active role in foreign affairs and focus instead on domestic issues. Further, the study found that 40 percent of Millennials don’t believe that maintaining a superior global military force is a “very important” policy issue for the nation. The study found that many Millennials are disillusioned with American foreign policy due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

52% of Millennials would prefer that the U.S. take a less active role in foreign affairs and focus instead on domestic issues.