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Poll: Americans' Confidence in Anti-Terrorism War Weakens
The American public is losing confidence in the current US war against terrorism, according to a CBS-New York Times poll published on Tuesday.
The poll showed that Americans' confidence has weakened in the U.S. government's ability to protect citizens from future attacks, capture or kill Osama bin Laden, and maintain an international coalition.
The poll indicated that only 18 percent of Americans believe the government can protect them from terrorism, compared with 35 percent in the previous poll published on October 8.
It also suggested that a majority, 53 percent, now think another terrorist attack is likely, up from one-third a month ago. Half of the respondents said they believe the government is not
telling people everything they need to know about the anthrax outbreak that has killed three people this month. Only one-fourth now think the military will kill or capture Osama bin Laden, compared with almost four in 10 three weeks ago. Three in 10 think the international alliance will hold, compared with nearly half earlier this month.
However, the poll found that still 87 percent of respondents approve of the job being done by President George W. Bush, and four of five approve of his handling of the war on terrorism.
And support for the military attacks in Afghanistan remains very high, with almost nine in 10 supporting them. A majority expected the war to last more than a year and say it will be worth it even if several thousand U.S. troops are lost.
The poll of 1,024 adults was conducted October 25 to October 28. It had an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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