In the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Lauren Sukin, Luis Rodriguez and Stephen Herzog find that many people hold seemingly contradictory nuclear views: they back deterrence yet want disarmament. A landmark survey of more than 27,000 people in 24 countries, including both nuclear-armed and non-nuclear states, finds that large majorities endorse the taboo against nuclear use, yet substantial numbers would approve of it under extreme circumstances.
Rather than reflecting ignorance or inconsistency, these views appear to represent pragmatic, context-dependent reasoning. The results suggest that policymakers have more political space than commonly assumed to pursue policies that pragmatically address nuclear risk, while still recognising the legitimate security concerns shaping the nuclear order.