These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
41% Say U.S. Can Win War in Afghanistan, 36% Disagree
May 24, 2010
A massive suicide bombing last week pushed the number of U.S. casualties in the war in Afghanistan over the 1,000 mark, and voter confidence in America's handling of that war continues to fall.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 41% of Likely U.S. Voters now believe it is possible for the United States to win the nearly nine-year-old war in Afghanistan. Thirty-six percent (36%) disagree and say it is not possible for America to win the war. Another 23% are not sure.
Just before President Obama announced his new strategy for the war last December , only 39% thought a U.S. victory was possible, while 36% disagreed. But confidence that America can win jumped to 51% after the president's highly-publicized strategy was declared . But support began to decline after that .
In fact, 48% now say ending the war in Afghanistan is a more important goal than winning it. Forty-two percent (42%) place more importance on winning the war. Voters have been almost evenly divided on this question for months .
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on May 20-21, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
Thirty-nine percent (39%) give the president good or excellent marks for his handling of the war in Afghanistan, while 30% rate his performance in this area as poor, up 11 points from February. But 41% rated the president's handling of Afghanistan as poor prior to the December speech .
Eighty-two percent (82%) of voters continue to regard the situation in Afghanistan as at least somewhat important in terms of U.S. national security, including 48% who say it is Very Important. Only 14% say Afghanistan is not very or not at all important.
While there is little partisan disagreement over the national security importance of Afghanistan, there are noticeable differences on other questions related to the war.
Republicans are more confident that the United States can win the war. Sixty percent (60%) of GOP voters also believe winning the war is a more important goal in Afghanistan, while 64% of Democrats put more emphasis on ending the war as soon as possible. Voters not affiliated with either party are evenly divided.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Democrats give the president good or excellent marks for his handling of the war in Afghanistan, a view shared by just 15% of Republicans and 30% of unaffiliateds.
Although America is already caught up in highly-charged midterm election campaigns, the ongoing war in Afghanistan and the U.S. troop commitment there are noticeably absent from the political debate . Still, 83% of voters say they are following recent news stories about the war at least somewhat closely, with 41% who are following Very Closely. Fifteen percent (15%) are not following news about Afghanistan closely, if at all.
The president in his speech laying out the new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan stressed how important it is for America's NATO allies to pitch in. But just thirty-three percent (33%) of voters are at least somewhat confident that NATO will do all it can to help the United States win in Afghanistan . The survey was taken prior to the financial crisis that now has engulfed many of the NATO countries in Europe.
Forty-four percent (44%) of voters say the president is doing a good or excellent job on national security issues .