The Cuban Missile Crisis and U.S. Public Opinion

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 67, Heft 2, S. 265-293

Abstract

Explores the attitudes & perceptions of the US public during the Cuban missile crisis, how these were affected by the crisis, & retrospective opinions on the crisis years after the events of Oct 1962. Data drawn primarily from Gallup polls & two surveys conducted by the National Opinion Research Center before, during, & immediately after the crisis reveal public attitudes on US-Soviet relations & US policies toward Cuba, as well as job approval ratings of President John F. Kennedy & psychological reactions to the crisis & the potential threat of nuclear war. Subsequent polls conducted in the 1970s & 1980s demonstrate the salience of these events in public memory & the mixed feelings on their long-term positive vs negative impacts. Results reveal that, both psychologically & politically, US citizens were resilient during this crisis, absorbing their initial shock, supporting their leaders, & carrying on with their daily lives; similarities are seen in public reactions to the terrorist attacks of September 11 (2001) & their aftermath. 1 Appendix, 27 References. K. Hyatt Stewart