A new University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll shows that 73 percent of New Hampshire residents believe the United States should never use nuclear weapons first in a conflict. This view is shared by well over half (57 percent) of self-described “conservatives.”
This finding is significant, as the New Hampshire General Court is expected to vote on a resolution this week that calls on the U.S. to establish a “no first use” policy. If enacted, the measure would throw the state’s support behind congressional legislation to make it U.S. policy not to use nuclear weapons first.
New Hampshire towns, including Alstead, Durham, Exeter and New London, have joined other U.S. cities in passing resolutions calling on the United States to limit the risk of nuclear war by changing U.S. policies.
The poll shows that public attention is increasingly focused on nuclear weapons threats. The Survey Center poll reflects this trend with:
- 84 percent of the respondents stating that presidential candidates should lay out their views on nuclear weapons;
- 70 percent of respondents stating that they would prefer having more people involved in nuclear weapon launch decisions, rather than allowing the U.S. president to unilaterally order a nuclear strike, which is now the case.
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center conducted the poll between February 18 and February 26 as part of its larger winter poll. It randomly selected 12,910 telephone numbers, interviewing 604 randomly selected adults. The sampling margin of error is +/- 4.0 percent.