http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr010914b.asp
Retaliation Americans strongly behind retaliatory military actions
by Frank Newport
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The vast majority of Americans support the general idea of military action against the groups or nations responsible for Tuesday's attacks. Support levels, in fact, are generally at or around an extraordinary 90% level. A Tuesday night Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll conducted immediately after the attacks found a total of 92% of Americans who supported military action of some type, with only 4% willing to say that they did not support military strikes in retaliation for the terrorist attacks. Two ABC News/Washington Post polls also found that 93%-94% of Americans support military action against "the groups or nations responsible for today's attacks."
There is an apparent willingness, however, on the part of Americans to wait until the perpetrators are identified, rather than rushing in with immediate strikes. Gallup offered respondents three options, and found most respondents (71%) opted for the more restrained approach of waiting for those responsible to be identified -- even if it takes months -- before conducting military strikes against them. Only 21% opted for conducting immediate military strikes against all known terrorist organizations even if it was unclear who orchestrated the attacks. Four percent, as noted, did not support military strikes.
The same tendency for Americans to be willing to wait to act was found in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which offered respondents a list of five possible alternative actions. Support was lowest, although still in the majority, for an option described as "Launch immediate air strikes against the strongholds of terrorists who are believed to be the most likely responsible for these attacks."
One of the most striking findings from the review of public opinion polling conducted since the attacks on Tuesday is the strong majority support for military action against those responsible for the terrorism even when Americans are explicitly advised of the various possible consequences of such action.
Several polls made it clear that military action could result in the beginning of a more protracted war, and support levels remained at the two-thirds level or higher. The ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 69% of Americans support going to war even if it means "getting into a long war with large numbers of U.S. troops killed or injured." The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 83% support "even if it means risking further retaliation and the threat of war." In fact, the same NBC/WSJ poll showed that more Americans were worried about the U.S. underreacting and not doing enough in response to the attacks than were worried about the U.S. overreacting and doing too much.
American support extends to the explicit idea of introducing ground troops, although the levels of support are diminished when these more significant involvement levels are made clear. A CNN/Time poll conducted Thursday night found that a slim majority of 55% supported the idea of military action that would involve both the use of ground troops and the loss of U.S. lives (as compared to 85% who favored air strikes).
Several polls show that there is strong support for conducting military action against the countries harboring the terrorists, as well as against the terrorists themselves.
The inevitability of war seems apparent to the average American. On Wednesday night a CBS News poll found that 55% thought the United States would go to war as a result of the attacks, and by Thursday night the ABC News/Washington Post poll, which asked a similar question, found that 66% thought war inevitable.
There is a growing confidence that those responsible for the attacks will be caught. Polling conducted Tuesday night found that roughly half the American public is highly confident that those responsible for planning the attacks will be brought to justice. Another third or so were moderately confident, while only a handful were pessimistic about the prospect. By Thursday, the level of confidence had increased, to where 65% in the ABC poll were "very confident" that the United States could find and punish those responsible for the attacks.
According to the NBC poll, most Americans expect those responsible for the attack will be caught within a month, including 18% who think that they will be caught within a week. One in four say it will take several months to catch the terrorists, and 13% say it will take longer than that.
--- Marta Russell <ap888 at lafn.org> wrote:
> Warning, this is quite depressing. I did a check of
> several questions
> and Americans are overwhelmingly voting for more
> violence, and war.
>
> Marta
>
> Dear Vote.com voter,
>
> As our nation recovers from Tuesday's unprecedented
> assault on key
> symbols of U.S. military and financial power,
> Vote.com invites all
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>
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>
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>
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===== Kevin Dean Buffalo, NY ICQ: 8616001 http://www.yaysoft.com
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