On a scale of 1–10, where "10" means "worth taking significant risk," the survey revealed mean scores of 7.00 or more for defending Japan (8.86), Australia (8.71), South Korea (8.60), and Taiwan (7.93), as well as an unnamed ally or partner in the South China Sea (7.12).

Evaluated on a scale of "1 – Take no risk" to "10 – Take significant risk"
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CSIS | Thought Leaders Q4-8

By the Numbers

  • 53%

    of U.S. thought leaders are willing to take significant risk to Defend Japan and Australia (score of "10" on a scale of 1 to 10).

  • 7.93

    This mean response shows support among U.S. thought leaders for defending Taiwan (on a scale of 1 to 10).

On a scale of 1–10, where "10" means "worth taking significant risk," the survey revealed mean scores of 7.00 or more for defending Japan (8.86), Australia (8.71), South Korea (8.60), and Taiwan (7.93), as well as an unnamed ally or partner in the South China Sea (7.12).

The strong support for defending Taiwan is especially striking. The human rights community is most willing to take significant risk to defend Taiwan, suggesting the importance of democratic values. The strong support among congressional staff reflects recent bipartisan legislation highlighting the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act and calling for more support to defend Taiwan at a time of increasing Chinese military pressure on the Tsai Ing-wen government.


In focus group discussions with civil society, labor, and other non-national-security groups, participants were struck by these numbers—which are not part of their normal discourse—but also believed the results reflect the value of U.S. allies and partners in a more competitive world. The high level of support for Taiwan’s defense also reflects American non-national-security groups’ awareness of the Chinese challenge to open societies.