Public opinion in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s was deeply divided over the Vietnam War.

Verified by Lenz · May 11, 2026

The Short Version

Reliable polling shows Americans were strongly split over the Vietnam War, particularly in the late 1960s when public opinion was often close to even. That said, by the early 1970s a clear majority viewed the war negatively, so the division was no longer as evenly balanced. The claim captures the overall conflict in public opinion but compresses an important shift over time.

Caveats

The strongest evidence for 'deeply divided' comes from 1967-1968; by 1969-1973, anti-war opinion was usually the majority.
The division was not mainly partisan; it also ran along age, race, education, and other demographic lines.
'Deeply divided' is a broad characterization, not a precise statistical term, and can overstate how evenly split the public was in the early 1970s.

The Receipts

The Iraq-Vietnam Difference
Pew Research CenterMay 16, 2006
Polling Wars: Hawks vs. Doves
Pew Research CenterNov 23, 2009
Public Opinion and the Vietnam War
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Iraq Versus Vietnam: A Comparison of Public Opinion
Gallup NewsAug 31, 2005
Americans Look Back at Vietnam War
Gallup NewsNov 20, 2000
Gallup Vault: Hawks vs. Doves on Vietnam
Gallup NewsMay 15, 2016
A Creeping Doubt: Public Support for Vietnam in 1967
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Changing Opinions on the Draft
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
CBS News Poll: U.S. involvement in Vietnam
CBS NewsJan 27, 2003
1968 in Datasets
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

+ 4 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

United States Vietnam War

Public opinion in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s was deeply divided over the Vietnam War.

The Short Version

Caveats

The Receipts

Filed Under

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