> With regard to public opinion in the US, you are
>right that intense opposition is not widespread. But
>the tide has clearly begun to turn against the war in that
>arena. Although declared support remains above 50%,
>it has begun to slip. And opposition has been rising
>sharply in the last two weeks from around 30% to around
>40%, with most of that coming from the "don't knows."
> It may take awhile for the support to drop below 50%,
>but the trend is clear, and we all know that Bill Clinton is
>a creature of the poll ratings.
<http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr990511.asp>
May 11, 1999
Support For NATO Air Strikes Holds Steady in Wake of Embassy Attack Almost half of Americans favor cease-fire to clear way for peace talks. by Mark Gillespie
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
As the U.S. and NATO issue apologies for the errant bomb that struck China's embassy in Belgrade on May 8, a new Gallup poll shows a slim majority of Americans continue to support the NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia.
The poll was conducted from May 7-9, and the majority of the interviews came after the attack that left three Chinese journalists dead. Support for the mission is at 55%, while the percentage of Americans opposed to the NATO mission is at 38%. These support and opposition percentages have been running at roughly this level for a number of weeks, suggesting that it will take major changes or events to produce a significant shift in public opinion at this point in the military operations.
Americans also are split over whether the attacks have been too strong or not strong enough. One in four Americans (24%) believe the air strikes have been too aggressive, and about the same percentage (27%) believe the rules of engagement have not been aggressive enough. Another 44% believe the level of air strikes has been "about right."
Public support for President Clinton's handling of the Kosovo crisis also remains consistent, with 55% of Americans approving of Mr. Clinton's actions -- a result that has remained steady since late April. From a broader perspective, the new poll also shows that Clinton's overall job approval rating is constant at 60%, unchanged since early April.
In a question asked for the first time by Gallup interviewers this weekend, Americans were given the chance to speak out on their favored approach for the future of the mission -- whether to continue the air strikes and simultaneously pursue peace terms acceptable to NATO or to declare a cease-fire and focus on diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement. NATO and U.S. officials have stated unequivocally that they stand behind the first approach, but Americans are split on the issue, with 48% favoring continued attacks and 48% supporting a cease-fire and diplomatic efforts.
Response to the negotiations question is roughly equal along partisan lines, but on one interesting note, about one in four of those who support the NATO air strikes still favors the cease-fire option. Just over half of American women also favor the cease-fire option, compared to 44% of men.
For results based on the sample of national adults (N=1,025) surveyed May 7-9, 1999, the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
As you may know, the military alliance of Western countries called NATO, launched air and missile attacks against Serbian military targets in Yugoslavia. Do you favor or oppose the United States being a part of that military action?
Favor Oppose No opinion 99 May 7-9 55 38 7 99 Apr 30-May 2 58 36 6 99 Apr 26-27 56 40 4 99 Apr 21 51 39 10 99 Apr 13-14 61 35 4 99 Apr 6-7 58 36 6 99 Mar 30-31 53 41 6 99 Mar 25 50 39 11 99 Mar 19-21^ 46 43 11 99 Feb 19-21^ 43 45 12
^ Question Wording: "If a peace agreement is not reached between the Yugoslavian Serbs and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, NATO has said it would carry out air and missile attacks against Serb military installations. Would you favor or oppose the U.S. being a part of that military action?"
Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Clinton is handling the situation in Kosovo?
Approve Disappr No opin 99 May 7-9 55 35 10 99 Apr 30-May 2 54 41 5 99 Apr 26-27 54 41 5 99 Apr 13-14 61 34 5 99 Apr 6-7 58 35 7 99 Mar 25 58 32 10
So far, do you think the military action against Yugoslavia by the United States and NATO --
Has been too aggressive 24% Has been about right, or 44 Has not been aggressive enough 27 No opinion 5
Which of the following approaches to reaching a peace agreement in Yugoslavia would you prefer to see the United States take --
Continue the current military action against Yugoslavia until Slobodan Milosevic complies with peace terms that are acceptable to NATO 48% Stop the military action and focus on a diplomatic effort to reach a peace agreement 48 NEITHER /OTHER (vol.) 3 No opinion 1
(vol.) volunteered response