Though it is possible to print these browsable pages at fax quality, the result will be unsatisfactory. More information on the Open Book is available. Copyright 1999, the Brookings Institution Press. The dominant view among policy practitioners interviewed was that the pub- lic supports the current level of defense spending, with less than a quarter saying that the public favored reductions. Desire for burden sharing through multilat- eral arrangements was virtually never mentioned.
Polls show a complex picture of public attitudes.
Depending on how the question is framed, attitudes about defense spending can range from comfort with the status quo to a desire for deep cuts. Each framework appears to elicit different values. Apparently this readiness to cut reflects doubts about whether the current spending level is really necessary. Most Americans do not appear to fear that cutting will impair homeland defense capabilities, and most reject the notion of maintaining defense spending to preserve jobs. Apparently within these frameworks Americans perceive the current level of spending as inconsistent with their desire to move away from a hegemonic role.