Poll reveals citizens oppose nukes

Monday, April 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

A national poll shows that by a 9-1 margin, Americans no longer see a reason for keeping a nuclear weapons stockpile.

The 1,006 citizens polled support an international treaty to eliminate nuclear arms, according to a Lake Sosin Snell & Associates survey.

Abolition 2000, a global network representing 700 organizations, released the poll last week.

Eighty-four percent of those polled said they would feel safer if no country, including the United States, had nuclear arsenals.

Pollsters told people that the United States spends more on maintaining the nuclear stockpile than on Head Start, fighting illiteracy and providing college scholarships combined.

No significant gender gap and no regional variations appeared in the results. Republicans and Democrats agreed.

"Americans see no reason for maintaining the Cold War nuclear policy and see every reason for eliminating the nuclear threat once and for all," said Alice Slater, president of Global Resource Action Center for the Environment in Washington, D.C.

"It doesn't seem to matter whether you're liberal or conservative, pro-defense spending or not, the bottom line is that the bomb makes us feel unsafe and we want to be rid of it," she said.

It's rare when such a broad consensus occurs on this type of public policy issue, noted Celinda Lake, president of Lake Sosin Snell & Associates.

Rick Nielsen, director of Citizen Alert, a Nevada anti-nuclear group, said the poll indicates keen public awareness.

"It supports full citizen participation for democratic decisions on issues that affect our lives," Nielsen said.

Some of the poll's findings:

* Nearly 80 percent of Americans believe the U.S. budget for nuclear weapons is too high.

* By almost 9-1, Americans said they would feel safer knowing for sure that no country, including the United States, had nuclear weapons.

* Seven out of 10 believed more money should go to Head Start, fighting illiteracy and providing college scholarships.

The firm conducted the poll March 27-30.

By Mary Manning