3077India
07-04-07, 08:17 PM
Only 29% of Americans Say U.S. Is Winning War on Terrorism (http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=27955) <--(Click for source location)
Lowest percentage recorded to date
by Joseph Carroll
PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest Gallup Poll finds fewer than 3 in 10 Americans saying the United States is winning the war on terrorism, the lowest percentage holding this view since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But, Americans do not believe the terrorists are winning the war, either; rather, half the public indicate that neither side is winning. Most Americans consider the war in Afghanistan to be part of the war on terrorism, but more than half reject the notion that the war in Iraq is. The public's concerns about being a victim of terrorism have been quite steady over the past two years, and views that there terrorist attacks in the country are imminent are at their lowest point in two years.
Winning the War on Terrorism
The June 11-14, 2007, poll updated Gallup's trend question that asks Americans if the United States and its allies, the terrorists, or neither side is "currently winning the war against terrorism."
The results show that 29% of Americans say the United States is winning, while 20% say the terrorists are winning and 50% say neither side. Americans are the most pessimistic about the U.S. efforts in the global war on terror now than at any other point since Gallup first asked this question in October 2001, with the 29% saying the United States is winning a new low and the 20% who say the terrorists are winning nearing the previous high. This is also the first time that half of Americans see the war as a stalemate.
http://media.gallup.com/POLL/Releases/pr070622i.gif
Americans were most optimistic about the country's progress in the war on terrorism shortly after the United States took military action against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, with a high of 66% of Americans who thought the United States was winning in January 2002. Americans' assessments about the country's terrorism efforts grew more negative as the White House pressed its case for an invasion of Iraq in 2002 and early 2003. Opinions shifted in a more positive direction about a month after the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. But as the Iraq war has dragged on, the public's pessimism has grown and the percentage saying the United States is winning has been gradually declining.
Military Actions in Afghanistan, Iraq Part of the War on Terrorism?
The poll also asked Americans if they consider the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to be "part of the war on terrorism," or an "entirely separate military action." Nearly two in three Americans (65%) consider the war in Afghanistan to be part of the war on terrorism, while 32% consider it a separate action. Americans are much less likely to consider the war in Iraq to be part of the war on terrorism -- only 43% agree that it is, while a majority, 53%, says it is a separate military action.
http://media.gallup.com/POLL/Releases/pr070622ii.gif
The majority view in the pre-war and early war stages reflected the Bush administration's position that military action in Iraq was another piece of the war on terrorism. At least half of Americans said they consider the war in Iraq to be part of the war on terrorism from September 2002 through October 2004. In June 2005, for the first time, Gallup found the public disagreeing with the administration's position, and continuing to do so throughout 2005 and early 2006. Then, in the fall of 2006, shortly after the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Americans' views on the Iraq war were once again divided. But that shift proved to be temporary given the latest results.
Part 2 follows.
Lowest percentage recorded to date
by Joseph Carroll
PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest Gallup Poll finds fewer than 3 in 10 Americans saying the United States is winning the war on terrorism, the lowest percentage holding this view since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But, Americans do not believe the terrorists are winning the war, either; rather, half the public indicate that neither side is winning. Most Americans consider the war in Afghanistan to be part of the war on terrorism, but more than half reject the notion that the war in Iraq is. The public's concerns about being a victim of terrorism have been quite steady over the past two years, and views that there terrorist attacks in the country are imminent are at their lowest point in two years.
Winning the War on Terrorism
The June 11-14, 2007, poll updated Gallup's trend question that asks Americans if the United States and its allies, the terrorists, or neither side is "currently winning the war against terrorism."
The results show that 29% of Americans say the United States is winning, while 20% say the terrorists are winning and 50% say neither side. Americans are the most pessimistic about the U.S. efforts in the global war on terror now than at any other point since Gallup first asked this question in October 2001, with the 29% saying the United States is winning a new low and the 20% who say the terrorists are winning nearing the previous high. This is also the first time that half of Americans see the war as a stalemate.
http://media.gallup.com/POLL/Releases/pr070622i.gif
Americans were most optimistic about the country's progress in the war on terrorism shortly after the United States took military action against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, with a high of 66% of Americans who thought the United States was winning in January 2002. Americans' assessments about the country's terrorism efforts grew more negative as the White House pressed its case for an invasion of Iraq in 2002 and early 2003. Opinions shifted in a more positive direction about a month after the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. But as the Iraq war has dragged on, the public's pessimism has grown and the percentage saying the United States is winning has been gradually declining.
Military Actions in Afghanistan, Iraq Part of the War on Terrorism?
The poll also asked Americans if they consider the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to be "part of the war on terrorism," or an "entirely separate military action." Nearly two in three Americans (65%) consider the war in Afghanistan to be part of the war on terrorism, while 32% consider it a separate action. Americans are much less likely to consider the war in Iraq to be part of the war on terrorism -- only 43% agree that it is, while a majority, 53%, says it is a separate military action.
http://media.gallup.com/POLL/Releases/pr070622ii.gif
The majority view in the pre-war and early war stages reflected the Bush administration's position that military action in Iraq was another piece of the war on terrorism. At least half of Americans said they consider the war in Iraq to be part of the war on terrorism from September 2002 through October 2004. In June 2005, for the first time, Gallup found the public disagreeing with the administration's position, and continuing to do so throughout 2005 and early 2006. Then, in the fall of 2006, shortly after the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Americans' views on the Iraq war were once again divided. But that shift proved to be temporary given the latest results.
Part 2 follows.