Most Britons Continue to Regret Sending Soldiers to Afghanistan
More than half of respondents understate the number of British casualties since the war began in 2001.
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(12/21/10) -
Most people in Britain believe the country made a mistake in committing troops to the war in Afghanistan, and only a third support the current military effort, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The online survey of a representative national sample of 2,011 British adults also shows that more than half of Britons mistakenly believe that fewer than 300 UK soldiers have lost their lives in the Afghan conflict.
The Mission
This month, 34 per cent of respondents (+2 since October) support the military operation involving UK soldiers in Afghanistan, while 57 per cent (-3) are opposed.
Half of respondents (51%, +1) say they have a clear idea of what the war in Afghanistan is about, and a clear majority of Britons (57%, -3) believe the country made a mistake in sending military forces to Afghanistan.
When The War is Over
When asked about the eventual outcome of the war in Afghanistan, only eight per cent of respondents predict a clear victory by U.S. and allied forces over the Taliban. The top response—as has been the case throughout the year—is a negotiated settlement from a position of U.S. and allied strength that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government (33%).
One-in-five respondents (19%) expect a negotiated settlement from a position of U.S. and allied weakness that gives the Taliban a significant role in the Afghan government, while 11 per cent foresee the Taliban ultimately defeating the U.S. and allied forces.
Obama’s Plan
Confidence in the Obama Administration being able to “finish the job” in Afghanistan fell by three points to 22 per cent, while two-thirds (67%) are not too confident or not confident at all in the U.S. federal government.
The Media and the Government
There was very little fluctuation in two questions since October, with more than half of respondents (52%, -1) stating that the media in the UK has provided the right amount of attention to Afghanistan, and just three-in-ten Britons (31%, +1) claiming that the UK Government has provided the right amount of information about the conflict.
Casualties
More than half of respondents (55%) believe that fewer than 300 British soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2001. One-in-five (21%) accurately estimate that the number of casualties is between 301 and 400.
Analysis
Throughout 2010, Britons did not go through a significant shift towards support for the military mission in Afghanistan, despite going through a General Election and a change of government. Opposition to the war has consistently topped the 50 per cent mark, along with the feeling that committing troops in the first place was a mistake.
Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that the British fighting forces will remain in Afghanistan until 2014. While the level of “strong opposition” to the war now outranks “strong support” by a 3-to-1 margin—instead of the 4-to-1 margin observed in October—the country does not appear ready to re-embrace the mission at this point.
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 December 7 to December 9, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,011 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2% for the entire sample. 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.
