Empirical Research
55 Articles
Public Support for Torture Based on Prejudice
The New York Times misreported its own meeting with the President-elect concerning his views on torture, and how much he has changed his mind. Here I want to focus on one aspect…
#RemoveBannon
Trump’s win is mobilizing thousands of citizens around the country to take to the streets under an “anti-Trump” banner. At this nascent stage that banner obscures divergent…
Assessing Trump’s Mandate—A Sober Analysis
Both supporters and opponents of Trump’s campaign want to know what kind of mandate the election results mean for his Presidency and for questions about the political capital…
Are Drones Less Accurate than Piloted Aircraft?
Startling recent claims and evidence that armed drones are less accurate than piloted aircraft have prompted us to investigate the numbers behind them. We do so in a piece entitled,…
What Civilians Themselves Say about Targeting and their Participation in Conflict
“What I think is that there is no line at all … Civilians can turn into fighters at any time. Anybody can change from a fighter to a civilian, all in one day, all in one moment.”…
New Poll: American Support for Drone Strikes Plummets When Innocent US Civilians Killed [Updated]
A 2009 US Air Force photo shows an armed MQ-9 Reaper drone taxiing in Kandahar, Afghanistan. US policymakers need to know the answer to a simple question about American attitudes…
A Reply to Janina Dill: Common Ground
We firmly agree with Prof. Janina Dill that a broader societal understanding of civilian harm during wartime and how civilians view that harm is an important aspect of understanding…
“Proportionate” Collateral Damage and Why We Should Care About What Civilians Think
In their recent blog post “Surveying Proportionality: Whither the Reasonable Military Commander?” Laurie Blank, Geoffrey S. Corn, and Eric Jensen level three criticisms against…
Surveying Proportionality: Whither the Reasonable Commander?
At least two surveys gathering information about “public perceptions” of proportionality and collateral damage are making their way around the international arena by way of…
What do Public Opinion Polls on President’s AUMF Proposal Really Say?
It is important to read beneath the headlines and initial interpretations of a new NBC News/Marist poll that surveys public opinion on President Obama’s proposal for a congressional…
How Deep is U.S. Public Support for Airstrikes in Iraq?
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center/USA TODAY is being described by commentators as revealing a high level of US public support for airstrikes in Iraq. But how much comfort…
Social Science Data on Public Reactions to Drone Strikes and Civilian Casualties
One of the hats I wear is that of a social scientist. I don’t often write at Just Security in that capacity, but recent empirical research — on public attitudes toward…