August 4, 2009 - Bombing Hiroshima Was Right, Amercian Voters Say 3-1, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds Word format Sixty-four years after America dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, American voters say 61 - 22 percent, with 16 percent undecided, that it was the right thing to do, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Weaker support for President Harry Truman's decision is 49 - 29 percent among Democrats, 51 - 27 percent among women, and 50 - 32 percent among voters 18 - 34 years old, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Voters over 55 years old approve 73 - 13 percent, while voters 35 to 54 approve 60 - 23 percent. Strongest support is 74 - 13 percent among Republicans and 72 - 17 percent among men. White Protestants, Catholics and evangelical Christians all support the bombing by about 70 - 15 percent, while Jews support it 58 - 26 percent. "Sixty-four years after the dawn of the atomic age, one in five Americans think President Harry Truman made a mistake dropping the bomb," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Voters who remember the horrors of World War II overwhelmingly support Truman's decision. Support drops with age, from the generation that grew up with the nuclear fear of the Cold War to the youngest voters, who know less about WW II or the Cold War," Brown added. From July 27 - August 3, Quinnipiac University surveyed 2,409 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. 45. As you may know, on Aug 6th and Aug 9th in 1945, the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two. Do you think the United States did the right thing or the wrong thing by dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Right thing 61% 74% 49% 65% 72% 51% 66% 34% 44% Wrong thing 22 13 29 23 17 27 18 36 43 DK/NA 16 13 22 12 11 22 15 30 13 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. POL PHIL......... 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Lib Mod Con Right thing 50% 60% 73% 57% 67% 69% 47% 63% 69% Wrong thing 32 23 13 25 22 20 37 24 13 DK/NA 18 17 14 19 11 11 16 13 18 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Right thing 62% 59% 72% 72% 69% 58% Wrong thing 22 25 15 14 17 26 DK/NA 16 17 13 14 14 17
