Remember how bleak things were just a few weeks ago ... as far as the "war on terror" was concerned?
A report released on Friday (February 6, 2009) by Rasmussen Reports -- an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information -- suggests public opinion has shifted dramatically.
War on Terror Update62% Say U.S. & Allies Winning the War on TerrorFriday, February 6, 2009Sixty-two percent (62%) of likely voters now say the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That's the highest level of confidence found in five years of tracking, and is up from 55% in late January.The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 14% believe the terrorists are winning, representing a new record low. Two weeks ago , 18% said the terrorists held the advantage.
Eighteen percent (18%) now say neither side is winning.
Over half (52%) of voters say the situation in Iraq will get better in the next six months. That is up from 46% last month and also a new high water mark of optimism.
Just 20% now say the situation in Iraq will get worse over the coming months.
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For the first time since November, the percentage who think history will judge the U.S. mission in Iraq a success is higher than those who think it will be judged a failure. Forty-three percent (43%) say the mission will be judged as a success in the long term, while 35% say it will seen as a failure. Another 23% are undecided.
Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters think the U.S. is safer today than it was before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. That's up from 51% in the last poll and is the highest level of confidence ever found. Twenty-seven percent (27%) disagree, while 19% are not sure.
Though he's only been in the White House slightly more than two weeks, President Obama is already receiving higher marks on his handling of the Iraq situation than his predecessor. Forty-two percent (42%) of voters rate Obama's performance on Iraq good or excellent, while 17% give him a poor rating. President Bush's final ratings on the war showed that 34% said good or excellent, while 45% said he was doing a poor job.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) of men say the U.S. and its allies are winning the war, compared to 57% of women. Fourteen percent (14%) of both men and women say the terrorists are winning, while 15% of men and 21% of women say neither side holds the advantage.
While men are more confident than women in the war, women are more likely to give Obama higher ratings. Nearly half of women (46%) say Obama is doing a good or excellent job handling the war, while 36% of men agree. One in five men (20%) say the new president is doing a poor job, compared to only 14% of women.
Democrats have grown much more confident in the war, with 57% who now say the U.S. and its allies are winning, compared to 45% just two weeks ago and 40% the week before. Republicans have held relatively steady, with 71% who say the U.S. is winning, compared to 72% in the last poll. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of unaffiliated voters say the same, up from 50% in January.
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To download a copy of the original report, please use this link: We're Winning What?