New Gallup Poll Finds “Military Experience Tops Candidate Credentials”

A majority of Americans say prior military experience makes them more likely to vote for a political candidate.

At the Strength in Democracy Forum, Gallup and our partners at the With Honor Institute unveiled the findings of a new, national poll, which found that 55% of U.S. adults say that prior military service makes it much (16%) or somewhat (39%) more likely they’ll vote for that person in an election.

Notably, 78% of Americans believe that veterans are willing to put the country’s interests ahead of their own personal or partisan interests, and 77% of Americans believe that veterans can work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds. These results underscore what we have always believed at With Honor Action: Veterans who have already once taken a pledge to put their country before themselves are capable and trusted to put their principles before their politics.

The same poll also found that:

• 83% of Americans believe veterans possess strong leadership skills.
• 75% believe veterans understand global security issues.
• 70% trust veterans to help leaders make foreign policy decisions.

You can read the full results of the Gallup-With Honor Institute poll here and watch the presentation at the Forum by Colonel Michael Tilton, U.S. Army (Ret.), project director at Gallup.