Opposition to Military Mission in Afghanistan Reaches 60% in Britain
Public opposition to Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan has reached a high point, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The Poll Archive RSS
(10/20/10) -
Only one-in-four respondents believe sending troops to Afghanistan was the right course of action.
Public opposition to Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan has reached a high point, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The online survey of a representative national sample of 2,003 British adults also shows that respondents maintain negative views on the likely outcome of the war n Afghanistan.
The Mission
This month, 32 per cent of respondents (down one point since August) support the military operation involving UK soldiers in Afghanistan, while 60 per cent are opposed (up three points).
Three-in-ten Britons (60%, +6) believe the country made a mistake in sending military forces to Afghanistan. Half of respondents (50%, +4) claim to have a clear idea of what the war in Afghanistan is about.
When The War is Over
When asked about what they believe will be the most likely outcome of the conflict in Afghanistan, only eight per cent of Britons predict a clear victory by U.S. and allied forces over the Taliban, and 31 per cent foresee a negotiated settlement from a position of U.S. and allied strength that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government.
In addition, one-in-five respondents (20%) expect a negotiated settlement from a position of U.S. and allied weakness that gives the Taliban a significant role in the Afghan government, and 11 per cent believe the Taliban will ultimately defeat the U.S. and allied forces.
Obama’s Plan
One-in-four Britons (25%, -2) are very or moderately confident that the Obama Administration will be able to “finish the job” in Afghanistan, while a clear majority (65%, +2) are not too confident or not confident at all.
The Media and the Government
More than half of respondents (53%, +1) claim that the media in the UK has provided the right amount of attention to Afghanistan, while 20 per cent think it has been too little, and 15 per cent believe it has been too much.
Only three-in-ten Britons (30%, +1) think that the UK Government has provided the right amount of information about the war in Afghanistan, while half (49%, -3) say it has been too little.
Analysis
Prime Minister David Cameron recently presented a package of military budget reductions, which will not affect the current state of affairs in Afghanistan. However, as the months go by, animosity towards the mission and the decision to send troops in the first place continues to mount. Three-in-five Britons both oppose the conflict and believe the government made a mistake in ordering the deployment of soldiers in the first place.
The main gap in public opinion lies in the high level of “strong opposition” to the war, which outranks “strong support” by a 4-to-1 margin.
Download Full Methodology Statement
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From October 14 to October 17, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,003 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/-2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
