Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 Oppose War in Afghanistan

By Glen Johnson

August 20, 2010

LAWRENCE, Mass. — A majority of Americans see no end in sight in Afghanistan, and nearly six in 10 oppose the nine-year-old war as President Barack Obama sends tens of thousands more troops to the fight, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

With just over 10 weeks before nationwide elections that could define the remainder of Obama’s first term, only 38 percent say they support his expanded war effort in Afghanistan — a drop from 46 percent in March. Just 19 percent expect the situation to improve during the next year, while 29 percent think it will get worse. Some 49 percent think it will remain the same.

The numbers could be ominous for the president and his Democratic Party, already feeling the heat for high unemployment, a slow economic recovery and a $1.3 trillion federal deficit. Strong dissent — 58 percent oppose the war — could depress Democratic turnout when the party desperately needs to energize its supporters for midterm congressional elections.

A majority of Americans do welcome Obama’s decision to end combat operations in Iraq. Some 68 percent approve, a number unchanged from earlier this year. The last American combat brigade began leaving Iraq on Thursday, ahead of Obama’s Aug. 31 deadline for ending the U.S. combat role there.

Seven years after that conflict began, 65 percent oppose the war in Iraq and just 31 percent favor it. …

U.S. troops have suffered more than 1,100 deaths in Afghanistan since fighting began in October 2001, including a monthly record of 66 in July. Last fall, Obama authorized an increase in the force in Afghanistan by 30,000 to 100,000 troops—triple the level from 2008. Many in Congress are increasingly doubtful that the military effort can succeed without a tough campaign against bribery and graft that have eroded the Afghan people’s trust in their government. …

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted August 11-16 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,007 adults nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

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Complete poll results (PDF)

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Related report on this site

A crowd of Afghan protesters destroy a car during clashes with police following Friday prayers in Kabul on July 30, 2010. Rioting erupted when scores of Afghan men set fire to two U.S. embassy vehicles after one collided with a civilian car killing a number of occupants, officials and witnesses said. (Photo credit: Yuri Cortez / AFP — Getty Images)

Support for Afghan War Plummets (Aug. 4, 2010)

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12/31/2013 Update

Afghanistan War More Unpopular Than Vietnam

By Aaron Blake

December 30, 2013

Public opposition to the war in Afghanistan has hit a new high and is now well above even opposition to the war in Vietnam, according to a new poll.

The CNN/Opinion Research poll shows just 17 percent of Americans support the effort, while 82 percent oppose it.

The eight in 10 Americans who oppose the war is higher than any other recent conflict. As CNN notes, during the Iraq and Vietnam wars, opposition never peaked above seven in 10 Americans. …

Just one-third say the United States is winning the war.

Full report

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — August 20, 2009

Afghan War ‘Not Worth Fighting’

Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Combat Brigade 10th Mountain Division, based out of Fort Drum, N.Y., evacuate a wounded comrade in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. (Photo credit: David Goldman / AP)

One year ago today, I featured a new Washington Post-ABC News poll showing that a majority of Americans viewed the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, with just a quarter saying more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — August 20, 2008

Video

Military official: U.S. is ‘not winning the war’ in Afghanistan (NBC Nightly News, Sept. 10, 2008) — Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress Wednesday that America is “running out of time” in Afghanistan. NBC’s Brian Williams reports. (00:38)

On the Campaign Trail: Day 37

Two years ago today, on the 37th day of my 2008 campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, I focused on national security issues, including the increasing sophistication of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to mount complex, coordinated attacks and the precarious security situation in northern Iraq.