war support slips further in US
outcome> War Support Slips, Fewer See Positive Outcome
New Poll Also Finds Growing Pessimism about Deficit, Rich-Poor Gap February 15, 2007 Public support for the war in Iraq continues to decline, as a growing = number of political independents are turning against the war. = Overall, a 53% majority of Americans believe the U.S. should bring = its troops home as soon as possible =96 up five points in the past = month and the highest percentage favoring a troop pullout since the = war began nearly four years ago. Confidence in a successful outcome in Iraq, which remained fairly = high last year even as perceptions of the situation grew negative, = also has eroded. The public is now evenly divided over whether the = U.S. is likely to achieve its goals in Iraq =96 47% believe it will = definitely or probably succeed, while 46% disagree. Three months ago, = 53% saw success as at least probable and 41% disagreed. The latest nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center for the = People & the Press, conducted Feb. 7-11 among 1,509 Americans, paints = a bleak picture of public opinion about the war. Fully two-thirds of = Americans (67%) say things are not going well with the U.S. military = effort in Iraq, and solid majorities say the U.S. is losing ground in = preventing a civil war (68%), reducing civilian casualties (66%), and = defeating the insurgents militarily (55%). In recent surveys, independents had been fairly evenly split over = whether to bring the troops home. In January, 47% favored a troop = withdrawal while 49% said the troops should remain in Iraq until the = situation there is stabilized. But in the current survey, 55% of = independents say they favor bringing the troops home as soon as = possible, compared with 40% who believe the troops should remain. = More Democrats also support a troop withdrawal than did so in January = (74% now, 66% then). By contrast, Republicans have been unwavering in = their support for keeping the troops in Iraq. By roughly three-to-one = (71%-23%), Republicans believe that U.S. forces should remain in Iraq = until the situation there is stable, which is nearly identical to = opinion among Republicans in January. While support is increasing for bringing the troops home as soon as = possible, most Americans still do not favor an immediate troop pull- = out. When asked if the U.S. should remove all troops immediately or = gradually over the next year or two, most of those who support a = troop pullout =96 35% of the general public =96 say the drawdown should = be gradual; just 16% want the troops brought home immediately. In recent weeks, the Bush administration also has highlighted the = increasing threat posed by Iran, both because of its nuclear program = and its reported support for anti-U.S. insurgents in Iraq. But public = perceptions of the Iranian threat have not increased over the past = year. Currently, a quarter of Americans volunteer Iran as the country = representing the “greatest danger” to the U.S., the highest = percentage naming any single country. In February 2006, a comparable = number (27%) cited Iran as the greatest threat to the U.S. And the = public is split evenly over whether it is more important for the U.S. = to take a firm stand against Iranian actions or to try to avoid a = military conflict with Iran (43% each). While public perceptions of the situation in Iraq have deteriorated, = there also is pessimism about the progress being achieved on a number = of domestic issues. Across a series of 10 problem areas from the = budget deficit to corruption to the environment, more Americans say = the country is losing ground than believe it is making progress. The = only issue on which there is a divided verdict is international = terrorism; even here, more say the country is losing ground (38%) = than say it is making progress (30%). On every other issue polled, = the gap between those who say the country is making progress and = losing ground is at least 20 percentage points. The greatest = pessimism is expressed about the federal budget deficit (64% say the = U.S. is losing ground) and the gap between rich and poor (63% losing = ground). Nearly as many say the country is losing ground on the way = the health care system is working (60%) and on the issue of illegal = immigration (59%). [full report: ReportID=3D304>]