(05/30/12) -

Views on Afghanistan Improve Slightly in United States

The proportion of Americans who believe the Obama Administration will “finish the job” increased by six points since March.

Public support for the war in Afghanistan increased slightly this month in the United States after hitting an all-time low in March, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,003 American adults, 49 per cent of respondents (-3 in two months) oppose the military operation involving American soldiers in Afghanistan, while 43 per cent (+5) support it.

There is a marked gender gap on the Afghanistan issue, with a majority of male respondents (51%) saying they support the military operation, and most women (52%) stating opposition to it. Respondents in the South (50%) are more likely to support the effort than those in the West (44%), Northeast (41%) and Midwest (34%).

While most Republicans (57%) continue to support the war in Afghanistan, only two-in-five Democrats and Independents (40%) concur.

As was the case in March, Americans are divided assessing the decision to launch the military commitment, with 37 per cent believing the United States made a mistake in sending forces to Afghanistan, and 39 per cent saying it was the right course of action.

The proportion of Americans who are “very confident” or “moderately confident” that the Obama Administration will be able to “finish the job” in Afghanistan increased by six points since March to 44 per cent. While two thirds of Democrats (69%) believe that the war will end successfully, they are joined by just over a third of Independents (36%) and one-in-four Republicans (23%).

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 May 24 to May 25, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,003 randomly selected 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.