US Military, The Police And Meta's Facebook Are The 'Most Favored' Institutions In The US While Hamas And Antifa Rank Last

In-depth polls are conducted regularly across the United States to gauge voters’ main concerns and interests and to predict who is going to win elections. 

Polls often dictate where politicians focus their campaigns to speak to voter’s issues and concerns. They cover sentiment on various issues from immigration to firearm rights and attempt to gauge how various candidates would fare against certain opponents. In the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris poll conducted in late March, voters were surveyed on the most favorable U.S. institutions, and many of the results may seem surprising.

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The U.S. military has consistently topped the list of most favored institutions over the years because of its perception as a respectable, selfless and patriotic career. From Veterans Day to Memorial Day, veterans are consistently well-respected and favored on both sides of the political aisle. The U.S. military topping the list is the only institution on the list that isn't controversial. The military is viewed as favorable or highly favorable by 80% of voters, with 11% seeing it as unfavorable.

In 2020, many police forces saw their budgets slashed by millions in response to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Despite the backlash, the police are now the second-most favored institution in the U.S., according to the Harris poll. It's unclear what caused the shift, but 68% of voters see the police in a favorable light. 

One that might come as a shock to most is Meta Platform Inc.'s Facebook, which comes in at No. 3. Meta has seen no shortage of controversy in recent years, with reports this week that it sold users' private messages to Netflix Inc.

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The institutions at the bottom of the list may also come as a bit of a surprise. The Oct. 7 attack on Israel was one of the most gruesome in modern history. Protests throughout the U.S. garnered widespread attention, with many mainstream outlets seemingly showing support for the organization responsible: Hamas. As such, only 13% of voters see the terrorist organization favorably with 66% seeing it as unfavorable. 

Conversely, Antifa, the organization largely behind many of the more violent BLM protests in 2020, ranks second lowest on the list of institutions. Only 16% of voters see it favorably with 48% seeing it as unfavorable. 

The same poll currently has former President Donald Trump leading with the highest overall favorability for political figures among voters and the fifth-highest unfavorably rating behind Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  

Immigration and inflation were the two largest priorities among voters. 

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