ASBURY PARK, N.J., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. voters are evenly split on whether too much or too little is spent on national defense but most drastically underestimate the amount spent, a poll found.
A nationwide telephone survey found 27 percent of voters say the United States does not spend enough on national security and the military, 32 percent say the government spends too much, and 37 percent believe the right amount is spent, Rasmussen Reports of Asbury Park, N.J. said.
Twenty-five percent think the government should consistently spend at least three times more on defense than any other country, while 40 percent believe such expenditure is too much and 35 percent are undecided.
If, however, the country spent only three times as much on defense as other nations, that amount would require a drastic cut in spending for this purpose, Rasmussen Reports said.
The 2011 budget for defense is approximately $719 billion, not including veterans' care costs, estimated at another $124 billion. No other country spends more than $110 billion on national defense.
The survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Jan. 27. The margin of sampling error was 3 percentage points.
