When a recent candidate in Colorado called a bike program a “well-disguised” plot to turn Denver into a “United Nations community,” it raised a few eyebrows. Unfortunately, it is not the only incident of the U.S. relationship with the United Nations becoming a campaign issue this election season, where a misguided distortion of our foreign policy is used for political ends. Candidates for Senate this year have called for voluntary funding only and the complete withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations.

But a poll released Friday demonstrates these stances are a miscalculation of the American sentiment towards the United Nations. Conducted by a bipartisan polling team, the research revealed that a majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents support the functions of the United Nations. Further, even when it came to the fiscal responsibilities of the U.S., 6 out of 10 Americans support paying dues to the United Nations in full and on time. The bipartisan support for the United Nations from the American public is reflected by our most experienced national security and foreign policy leaders: in a bipartisan statement released in 2008, former Secretaries of State and Defense, Republican and Democrat Senators, and National Security Advisors argued that American investment in the United Nations will “pay off substantially by helping to enhance our standing internationally and strengthen our ability to keep America safe and strong.”

While the bipartisan support is significant, the poll also found that after respondents were informed of what the fourteen functions of the United Nations were — including peacekeeping, providing access to clean drinking water, and fighting HIV/AIDs — there was a drastic increase in favorability.  While 50% of Republicans favored the UN before, after the explanation it jumped to 67%. The trend was the same with Independents, who went from 58% favorability to 68%, and from 77% to 94% with Democrats.

These numbers demonstrate the persistent information gap on international issues in America, the result of becoming the reliably easy political target and poor communication. Individuals regularly overestimate the percentage of GDP the United States commits to foreign aid by 100 times, and the US-UN relationship is not immune: polls have consistently demonstrated that Americans often incorrectly state the financial and military commitment of the United States.

Despite this, Americans of all political leanings understand we can’t go it alone, and only become more supportive when they understand the core functions of the United Nations and the role it plays on the global stage. The United Nations is not a perfect entity, by any stretch- but disengagement will only lose the United States an important partner and exacerbate the challenges we face. The American public calls for the U.S. to be supportive of the UN, and our political leaders should respond by pushing responsible policy over reckless politics.

The complete results of the poll conducted on behalf of the United Nations Foundation can be found here.

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