Swing States 2012: Florida and Ohio Voters Interested in Foreign Policy, Survey Shows

Many Americans are facing joblessness and foreclosures at home, but some still care about foreign affairs, especially in Ohio and Florida.

The LA Times reports a survey for the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, showing that 61 percent of Florida voters ranked foreign affairs as "very important," and 59 percent of Ohio voters said the same thing.

When asked if the U.S. should pay less or more attention to foreign relations, in Florida, 48 percent said less attention. In Ohio, 51 percent said they would like the country to pay more attention, and 42 percent said that U.S. affairs were more important.

The issue of foreign policy made a resurgence in the media after an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. The topic prompted a heated argument between Mitt Romney and President Obama at the second presidential debate.

Obama has been quite successful when it comes to handling matters abroad, especially the killing of terrorist Osama bin Laden.

In the article 5 Reasons Foreign Policy Matters in the 2012 Election, author Joseph Sarkisian says first and foremost, it has a reflection on the economy. Sarkisian said the $15.5 trillion national debt the U.S. entered was because of the war in Iraq. He said if Americans would have been more up-to-date on foreign policy, a smaller number would have supported the war in Iraq.

Another reason he gave was moral obligation. He asked why Israel receives more aid from the U.S. than any other nation, even more than countries in Africa. Some Americans see images of disease and famine on television and feel an obligation to help out when needed.

The debate yesterday night, held in Boca Raton, Fla., was intended to be all about foreign policy but in the end skewed to include domestic policies as well.