International Conflict

Abstract

This article explores the impact of international conflict on public opinion. The case under scrutiny is New Zealand, which, through its recent ban on nuclear ship visits, has become entangled in a controversy with its ANZUS treaty partners—Australia and the United States. Public opinion on nuclear issues has been collected in New Zealand since before the ban went into effect; data from the period encompassing 1983 through 1986 are analyzed. Immediately after the conflict began, New Zealanders rallied to the support of their government's policy. Feelings about the United States' position on this issue hardened. Support for the ban has, however, weakened and become structured along social and political lines of cleavage. A model which estimates the sources of nuclear opinion in New Zealand is presented.