Public confidence in the military is at a twenty-five year high since it
reached an apex after the Gulf War (Gallup, 1999). Since a low in 1995
of $255 billion in defense appropriations, the defense budget has steadily
risen to a proposed authorization likely in excess of $300 billion for
Fiscal Year 2001(Wolfe, 2000). The increase in defense spending appears
to have the support of Americans (Gallup, 1999, May).
If public opinion does have an effect on defense appropriations, then what
effect does military public affairs have on public opinion? Is public opinion
merely a function of media agenda-setting (McCombs & Shaw, 1972), or
can the military help set the agenda? At least two studies suggest military
public affairs can help shape the agenda and have a positive effect on
public opinion (U.S. Army OCPA, 1998; NORAD, USSPACECOM, & AFSPCOM,
2000).
Based on this prior research, two hypotheses are advanced: (H1) Defense
appropriations are positively correlated with public opinion of the military,
and (H2) Military public affairs communications campaigns positively influence
media agenda-setting. A methodological framework is discussed to test these
hypotheses.