Americans still justify Hiroshima/Nagaski bombings

More Americans still believe the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 80 years ago were justified, but the margins have narrowed compared to previous polling. These were the conclusions of a new Pew Research Center survey that found 35 percent of American adults think using nuclear weapons in 1945 was justified, while 31 percent did not. A third of those polled were unsure. The gap had narrowed, the researchers said, because the views of younger people today have changed.

As reported by the Mainichi newspaper, “Among those aged 30 to 49, 34 percent believed the bombings were not justified, more than the 29 percent who said they were, while 36 percent reported being unsure. In the 18 to 29 age group, the gap between those opposed to and those supporting the bombs’ use widened to 44 percent against 27 percent. In a similar survey carried out by the center a decade ago, 56 percent of Americans justified the use of the bombs. At the time, however, there was no “not sure” option.”

More men than women still believe the bombings were justified, by a considerable margin, the survey found,

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