Public Opinion Watch is now available on the Tom Paine website, http://www.tompaine.com.
********************************************** Public Opinion Watch August 26-30, 2002
<snip>
Sure We Really Need Those Ground Troops?
Princeton Survey Research poll of 1,005 adults for Newsweek, released August 30, 2002 (conducted August 28-29, 2002)
CNN/Time poll of 1,004 adults, released August 30, 2002 (conducted August 28-29, 2002)
The Princeton Survey Research poll suggests that, while most of the public (62 percent) say that they would support the use of military force against Saddam Hussein and Iraq, that figure really should be read as the share of the public who would support the use of air strikes without ground troops (in a separate question, a virtually identical 63 percent said they would back such an action). Only 49 percent say that they specifically would support sending in "large numbers of U.S. ground troops to ensure control of the country."
The CNN/Time poll reports consistent results. Fifty-one percent say that they would support the use of ground troops to remove Saddam Hussein from power. This is down from 70 percent support in December, 2001.
It also appears that support for unilateral military action by the Bush administration is low. Eighty-five percent say that the approval of Congress is very or somewhat important to get before taking military action. In addition, 81 percent think that formal support from the UN is important, 81 percent believe that support from most of the Arab countries that are friendly to the United States is important, and 76 percent think the same about support from our European allies.
*** Ruy Teixeira is a Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation.
Public Opinion Watch covers newly released polls, as well as key newspaper and magazine articles that make use of polling data. If you've ever wondered what to make of the blizzard of survey data covered in the newspapers--and whether the newspapers themselves know what they're talking about--you'll want to check out this feature on a regular basis. Each edition will combine noteworthy findings and trends from the latest polling data with analysis of the misinterpretations and misrepresentations to which polling data are so often subject.
***
If at anytime you wish to unsubscribe from a list please email list at tcf.org with Unjoin and the NAME OF THE LIST[Public Opinion] from which you wish to be removed.
Thank you for being a member of The Century Foundation's Public Opinion Watch listserv.
** Please visit The Century Foundation on the web at http://www.tcf.org.**