(12/27/11) -

Even After Kim’s Death, North Korea Remains a Threat For Americans

Half of respondents reject providing economic assistance to the country even if it completely abandons its nuclear weapons program.

Many Americans believe that the passing of Kim Jong-il will have little effect on North Korean society, and still consider the country a menace to the United States, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,024 American adults, 77 per cent of respondents believe that North Korea remains a threat to the United States even after Kim’s death.

Only 14 per cent of Americans believe North Korea will become a more open society now that Kim has died, while almost half (46%) believe the country will remain a closed society.

Half of Americans (49%) disagree with the notion of the U.S. providing economic assistance to North Korea if it completely abandons its nuclear weapons program. Democrats (46%) are more likely to favor some assistance in this scenario than Republicans (33%) and Independents (30%).

Information

When Americans were asked how they found out about the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, 42 per cent said they did so through the Internet and 41 per cent heard the news on television. Among respondents aged 18-to-34, the Internet (46%) and social media (13%) were the most prevalent vehicles, while respondents over the age of 55 (50%) relied primarily on television.

War in the Korean Peninsula

The tension perceived last year has definitely subsided, with 44 per cent of Americans believing that a war between South Korea and North Korea in the next year is “very likely” or “moderately likely”—a 27-point drop since November 2010.

However, there was little change in the two other policy questions. A majority of respondents (52%, -1) would support American soldiers providing assistance to South Korea in the event of a war against North Korea, and just over a third (37%, -1) would authorize a military invasion of North Korea with the aim of removing the North Korean Government.

Our previous surveys survey on Tension in Korea can be accessed here:
May 2010 / August 2010 / November 2010

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From December 21 to December 22, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,024 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.