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."
Voters Still Wary of Changes in Egypt, But 68% Say U.S. Should Not Get Involved
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Voters aren't convinced that changing the government in Egypt is good for the United States, but they still feel strongly that America should stay out of the political crisis engulfing its Middle Eastern ally.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 15% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the United States should get more directly involved in the Egyptian crisis. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say America should leave the situation alone. Seventeen percent (17%) are not sure which is the best course. (To see survey question wording, click here .)
This shows little change in sentiment from a little over week ago when 70% of Americans said the United States should leave the situation alone, even though most feel it's likely the unrest in Egypt will spread to other Middle Eastern countries and will be bad for the United States.
While demonstrators in Egypt are pushing for the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the country's president for the past 30 years, voters are fairly evenly divided in their assessment of its impact on the United States. Twenty-one percent (21%) think a change in government there will be good for the U.S. and 26% it will be bad. Those numbers reflect a less negative assessment than a week ago when 5% thought the impact might be good and 38% said bad.
Currently, 19% say the change in Egypt will have no impact on America and 33% aren't sure.
Forty-three percent (43%) rate the Obama administration's response to the situation in Egypt as good or excellent, while 20% view it as poor. This, too, is comparable to findings a week ago when the crisis was gaining momentum.
Last week's survey measured all adults while this week's numbers are based upon interviews with Likely Voters. So, the numbers are not precisely comparable. However, it is fair to conclude that Americans are a bit less pessimistic than a week ago and equally opposed to U.S. involvement.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 6-7, 2011 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.
Most Americans continue to follow events in Egypt. Eighty-four percent (84%) of voters say they are following recent news reports about the unrest there at least somewhat closely, with 52% who are following Very Closely.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party to view a change in government in Egypt as good for the United States.
Seventy-two percent (72%) of those in the president's party regard his administration's handling of the situation as good or excellent, a view shared by just 21% of GOP voters and 38% of unaffiliateds.
But 81% of all voters think it is at least somewhat likely that the political crisis in Egypt will significantly increase the cost of gasoline , with 46% who say it is Very Likely.
Americans view Egypt more favorably than other Middle Eastern countries including allies like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. In early September, 44% of Americans said the United States should provide military help to Egypt if it is attacked .
Sixty percent (60%) think it is more important for the United States to be allies with any country that best protects our own national security than it is to be allies only with countries that have freely elected governments.
There's little change in the number of voters who think the United States and its allies are winning the war on terror (39%), but the number who feel the terrorists are winning has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two years .
Most voters believe the country's military strategy should focus on defending the United States and its interests, but a sizable number thinks the strategy should concentrate on keeping the world peaceful instead. Either way, voters see economic challenges as a much bigger threat to the United States than challenges on the military front.