North Korea Seen as Top Threat to the United States

On July 28, 2017, North Korea successfully tested its second intercontinental ballistic missile—the first coming just weeks earlier on July 4—confirming that it can reliably launch a missile with the range to strike the United States. These tests put them well ahead of most predicted timelines, and has sent the United States scrambling for an appropriate response.

The 2017 Chicago Council Survey finds that the US public also senses an increased threat from North Korea’s nuclear program, rating it one of the top threats facing the United States. Nine in ten Americans reject the idea that North Korea should be allowed to produce nuclear weapons. While Americans broadly support sanctions against North Korea and against Chinese banks and companies that do business with North Korea, they continue to have little appetite for overt military action. CONT.

Karl Friedhoff & Dina Smeltz, Chicago Council on Global Affairs