Americans support a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics opened today in Beijing, with US athletes in attendance but US government officials absent, out of concern about China’s human rights record. This is the first official US diplomatic boycott since the 1984 games.

The Olympics are traditionally seen as a moment of international unity, when countries can put aside their quarrels to enjoy the pure love of sport. This year, the US chose to take a stand against China’s actions in Xinjiang Province, a move followed by only nine out of 84 participating countries.

Although critics of the US say that the boycott has unnecessarily politicized the games, the American public appears to be on board with the decision. As recent Ipsos polling shows, Americans are more supportive than not of the boycott, including majorities of Republicans and Democrats.  

1. Setting the stage. Foreign conflict is generally not an animating issue for the American public. For the past year, the top issues have been the economy, unemployment and healthcare. A tiny 2% identified foreign conflict and wars as one of the most pressing issues in our most recent Ipsos Core Political This is despite the boycott of the 2022 Games and rumblings of possible conflict with Russia over Ukraine. Domestic issues trump foreign ones in today’s COVID world. 

    

2. Diplomatic over complete boycott. A majority of Americans support the ongoing US diplomatic boycott of the Games, although Pew Research Center data suggests that it is not top of mind for many. A complete boycott, which would disallow US athletes from participating, garners support from a smaller number, just two in five. Protest over sanction. A testament to the rise of China? 

    

3. Bipartisan agreement. Boycotting the games is one area where Republicans and Democrats are on roughly the same page. Majorities of both Democrats (64%) and Republicans (53%) support a diplomatic boycott. Certain other demographic factors are likely to condition levels of support for a boycott, such as age and education level. Unity over protest! We live in strange times. 

    

4. Too much nationalism? Despite the boycott, Americans are among the least likely globally to believe that there is “too much” nationalism on display during the Olympics. On the other end of the spectrum, people living in countries outside of Europe and North America – such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Brazil – tend to see things differently. One person’s nationalism is another’s patriotism. 

    

5. National pride. Although Americans don’t necessarily see the Games as an excessive expression of nationalism, the American athletes participating in the Games are still a point of pride for a majority. Views have changed little since the Japan games, despite the changed geopolitical context. America is unified in its pride of America. Tautological? 

    

The US is not the first country to boycott the Games. In fact, China opted out of the Olympics from 1952 to 1980. However, opting out in 2022 denotes a clear break in traditional norms that have guided the games for decades. All told, let’s hope that this year's Olympics will bring more unity than less.