Pew research: Americans divided on role in world

WASHINGTON, May 5 (UPI) -- Americans are uncertain and divided over their place in the world, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday.

The issues range from the greatest threats to the how assertive a role the United States should play in dealing with them.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans want the United States "to deal with its own problems and let other countries deal with their own problems as best they can." Just 37 percent say the United States should help other countries deal with their problems.

Opposition to U.S. global engagement is not as widespread as in 2013, when it reached historic levels of 51 percent. In the latest survey, 41 percent say the United States does too much instead of too little (27 percent) or about the right amount (28 percent) to help solve world problems.

For the first time, more Americans say military spending should be increased instead of cut (24 percent). Among Republicans, the number of 61 percent is up from 2013's 24 percent.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in a speech last week, urged an overhaul of America's relationships with nations around the world and promising as president a "coherent foreign policy based on American interests." He also wants to invest heavily in the military.

The top global threat facing the United States is the Islamic State – a concern didn't even exist during the last survey three years ago. Eighty percent say the Islamic militant group in Iraq and Syria is a major threat to the well-being of the United States, while 72 percent view cyberattacks from other countries as a major threat and 67 percent say the same about global economic instability.

The new survey was conducted April 12-19 among 2,008 U.S. adults with an error rate of 2.5 percent.