Attention beyond the battlefield: Voters’ responses to foreign military investments

This study examines how voters respond to non-crisis military developments, focusing on general military, cyber, and nuclear capabilities. Using a survey experiment, it explores how information about these developments shapes voters’ preferences for US military spending. The findings show that voters are especially attentive to foreign cyber build-ups, with some assessing these developments rationally, while others rely on heuristics. These results offer a nuanced understanding of how emerging military technologies influence public perceptions and decision-making on military spending in the digital era.