Michigan Voters Have Higher Priorities than Nuclear Weapons

A survey of 800 registered Michigan voters indicates a majority oppose spending $1.5 trillion to replace the U.S. nuclear arsenal and nearly $100 billion to replace land-based nuclear missiles. Voters expressed a preference for federal spending on cleaning up polluted drinking water, expanding health care, increasing job opportunities, and improving infrastructure. The data shows that women, voters of color, college-educated voters, and those in suburbs near cities are most likely to oppose the nuclear overhaul, with nearly 60% of Black voters in opposition.

• A majority of registered Michigan voters oppose the plan to spend at least $1.5 trillion over 30 years to rebuild the entire U.S. nuclear arsenal, with only 16 percent expressing strong support.
• Michigan voters prioritize other federal spending areas over nuclear weapons, specifically cleaning up polluted drinking water, expanding quality and affordable health care, increasing job opportunities, and improving roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.
• Opposition to the nuclear weapons overhaul is particularly high among women, college-educated voters, voters in suburbs close to cities, and voters of color, including nearly three out of five Black voters.
• A majority of Michigan voters oppose the specific Pentagon plan to spend more than $100 billion to replace land-based nuclear missiles, with only 13 percent strongly supporting the move.
• Voters found arguments against rebuilding the arsenal more compelling than those in favor, particularly the ideas that the U.S. has more weapons than needed for security, that funds could be better used for community priorities like clean water, and that nuclear weapons do not address modern threats like cyber attacks or pandemics.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2020). Michigan Voters Have Higher Priorities than Nuclear Weapons. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/mi-voters-have-higher-priorities-than-nuclear-weapons.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Michigan Voters Have Higher Priorities than Nuclear Weapons. 2020. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/mi-voters-have-higher-priorities-than-nuclear-weapons.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Michigan Voters Have Higher Priorities than Nuclear Weapons |date=October 2020 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/mi-voters-have-higher-priorities-than-nuclear-weapons.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2020michigan, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Michigan Voters Have Higher Priorities than Nuclear Weapons}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-10/mi-voters-have-higher-priorities-than-nuclear-weapons.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }