The Polls: American Attitudes Toward the Soviet Union and Communism

DURING the first half of the 1970s detente warmed Soviet-American relations. A series of major treaties from the SALT I accords in 1972 to the Helsinki Agreements in July 1975 raised the promise of peaceful coexistence and normalized relations. Since then Soviet-American relations have chilled in the face of the huge Soviet arms buildup, Russian-Cuban adventurism in Africa, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and Communist repression in Poland, and commentators are talking of a second cold war.' The change in Soviet-American relations can be charted in American public opinion as clearly as in official diplomatic announcements and news stories. From intense dislike of the Russians during the peak of the Cold War of the 1950s, American favorableness toward the Soviets increased until in 1973 a majority of Americans had rather neutral feelings and nearly a fifth liked the Soviets. Since 1973 favorable opinion of the Soviet Union has fallen sharply, reaching a low point in the immediate aftermath of the invasion of Afghanistan. Likewise, negative ratings of Communism as a form of government and concern about Russia and Communism have increased monotonically since the early 1970s. The public has also judged that relations between the United States and the Soviet Union have deteriorated since the early 1970s. The public evaluated President Carter's approach as tending to be too soft, and at least initially has voiced much more satisfaction with President Reagan's harder line toward the Soviets.2