Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Jan. 4, 2024
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What Do Americans Think About Veterans and Military Service?
In recent years, U.S. military recruitment has experienced shortfalls, and the American public's overall confidence in the military is likewise declining.
To find out whether these trends reflect public perceptions of the U.S. military, our researchers examined recent RAND survey data.
Here's a selection of what they found:
- Public perceptions of veterans are overwhelmingly positive: About 30 to 80 percent of survey respondents endorsed positive stereotypes of veterans, and only three to 20 percent endorsed negative stereotypes.
- About 54 percent of Americans would discourage a young person in their lives from enlisting in the military, but 61 percent would encourage them to join the military as an officer.
- Nearly one-quarter of adults believe that most Americans look up to members of the military, and only four percent believe that most Americans look down on the military.
These and other insights from the surveys are important, as the views held by the American people about veterans and the military have the potential to shape the policy arena for years to come.
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Countering Truth Decay in an Election Year
Truth Decay is the declining role of facts in American public life. With a presidential election looming in November, the symptoms of this problem--such as distrust, conspiracy theories, and disagreements over basic facts--will likely be out in full force in 2024. In a new Q&A, Ray Block, Jr., who leads RAND's efforts to counter the wide-ranging Truth Decay phenomenon, offers some advice: Be an active consumer of information, he says. "Scrutinize everything. Cross-check it. Ask yourself, 'What goal does this information accomplish?'"
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The Increasingly Devastating Effects of Tropical Cyclones
Researchers from RAND, Stanford, and other institutions recently estimated how many people are affected by tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and typhoons. They found that the number of people impacted by these intense storms has increased sharply since 2002, reaching nearly 800 million in 2019. This rise is attributed more to changing weather patterns than to population growth. It's a trend that will likely continue, potentially increasing large-scale destruction and risk of mortality and diseases.
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** RAND Recommends
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- Beijing may view Taiwan's upcoming presidential election as a "litmus test for the likelihood of a non-violent unification process," RAND's Raymond Kuo told Axios.
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- Ukraine is eager to join NATO. But according to RAND experts, Ukraine's admission to NATO won't be enough. Members of the alliance would need to step up to deter and defend against further Russian aggression.
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- RAND's Kelly Atkinson and Lisa Harrington spoke with Air & Space Forces Magazine about recurring personnel funding issues in the U.S. Air Force.
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** Events
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Harnessing Quantum Technology for the Benefit of Society
Thursday, January 18, 2024 (Online and Santa Monica, CA)
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Charting Your Course: A Guide to Analyzing State Policy Studies
Tuesday, January 23, 2024 (Online)
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Not the X-Files: Where Are Americans Reporting UFOs?
Thursday, January 25, 2024 (Online)
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