Public Opinion Polls on Foreign Policy 2009-2012

Afghanistan

2009

2/19/09: Americans See Afghanistan War as Still Worth Fighting (Gallup/USA Today)

2/23/09: Strong Bipartisan Support for Obama's Move on Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)

3/18/09: In U.S., More Optimism About Iraq, Less About Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)

7/16/09: Americans Upbeat on Progress in Iraq, Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)

9/04/09: Americans Say Afghanistan Going Badly, But Not a Mistake (Gallup/USA Today)
9/15/09: Afghanistan Troop Boost Looks Unpopular (ABC News/Washington Post)

9/22/09: Public Support for Afghan Mission Slips (Pew Research)

9/25/09: Americans Tilt Against Sending More Troops to Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)

10/08/09: Americans Divided on Sending More Troops to Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)

10/22/09: Most Say They Lack Background to Follow Afghan News (Pew Research)

11/05/09: Public Divided Over Afghan Troop Requests, But Still Sees Rationale for War (Pew Research)

11/12/09: Americans Split on Afghanistan Troop Increase vs. Decrease (Gallup/USA Today)
11/17/09: Afghanistan War Support Slips (ABC News/Washington Post)

11/25/09: In U.S., More Support for Increasing Troops in Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)

12/03/09: Obama's Plan for Afghanistan Finds Bipartisan Support (Gallup/USA Today)

12/04/09: Americans Split on Whether Goals in Afghanistan Will Be Met (Gallup)

12/10/09: News Interest in Afghanistan Surges (Pew Research)

2010

5/9/10: Ahead of Karzai's Visit, a Division on the War (ABC News/Washington Post)

6/7/10: Afghanistan: A Long War - and No Longer a Popular One (ABC News/Washington Post)

6/29/10: Majority of Americans Favor Obama's Afghanistan Timetable (Gallup/USA Today)

7/13/10: Americans Behind Patreus; See Tough Job in Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today) 

8/03/10: In U.S., New High of 43% Call Afghanistan War a "Mistake" (Gallup/USA Today)

11/19/10: American's Less Pessimistic About U.S. Progress in Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)

2011

4/8/11: Americans Divided on How Things Are Going in Afghanistan (Gallup/USA Today)
4/25/11: New Low for Obama on Afghanistan (ABC News/Washington Post)

5/3/11: More Optimism about Afghanistan, But no Boost in Support for Troop Presence (Pew Research)

5/11/11: Americans More Positive on Afghanistan After Bin Laden Death (Gallup/USA Today)

6/21/11:  Record Number Favors Removing U.S. Troops from Afghanistan (Pew Research)

6/27/11:  Little Change in Views of Obama's Approach for Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal (Pew 

Research)

6/29/11: In U.S., Fears of Terrorism After Afghanistan Pullout Subside (Gallup/USA Today)

6/29/11: Americans Broadly Favor Obama's Afghanistan Pullout Plan (Gallup/USA Today)

2012

3/12/12: Six in 10 Criticize War in Afghanistan; Most Favor Abandoning Training Mission (ABC News/Washington Post)

3/15/12: In U.S., Half Say U.S. Should Speed up Afghanistan Withdrawal (Gallup)
3/26/12: Support in U.S. for Afghan War Drops Sharply (New York Times/CBS News)
3/30/12: Afghan War Support Hits New Low (CNN/ORC International)

Terrorism

2/18/09: Obama Faces Familiar Divisions Over Anti-Terror Policies (Pew Research)
4/23/09: Obama, Cheney, and the Politics of Torture (ABC News) 
7/29/09: Most Oppose Terror Probe, with Sharp Partisan Rift (ABC News/Washington Post)

8/07/09: Public Supports Targeting Al Qaeda Leaders, Wants Congress in the Loop (Pew Research) 

8/23/09: Public Remains Divided Over Use of Torture (Pew Research)
11/17/09: Views on the Terror Trials (ABC News/Washington Post)

1/14/10: Obama Image Unscathed by Terrorism Controversy (Pew Research)
3/5/10: 9/11 and Military Tribunals (ABC News/Washington Post)
4/12/10: On Nuclear Terrorism, a Muted Perception of Threat (ABC News/Washington Post)

10/22/10: Continued Positive Marks for Government Anti-Terror Efforts (Pew Research)

12/02/10: Despite Years of Terror Scares, Public's Concerns Remain Fairly Steady (Pew Research)

2/15/11: Public Remains Divided Over the Patriot Act (Pew Research)
9/09/11: 9/11 Anniversary: A Sense of Security Rebounds (ABC News/Washington Post)
2/08/12: Drones, Gitmo and Drawdown Give Obama Foreign Policy Cred (ABC News/Washington Post)

Libya and Syria

3/14/11: Public Wary of Military Intervention in Libya (Pew Research)
3/14/11: Support for a Libyan No-Fly Zone Comes with Questions about the Future (ABC News/Washington Post)

3/18/11: Modest Support for Libya Airstrikes, No Clear Goal Seen (Pew Research)

4/5/11: Goal of Libyan Operation Less Clear to Public (Pew Research)
6/7/11: Nearly Six in 10 Support Involvement in Libya (ABC News/Washington Post)

9/8/11: Libya: Steady Views, Declining Interest (Pew Research)

3/15/12: Little Support for U.S. Intervention in Syrian Conflict (Pew Research)

Iran

10/06/09: Most Would Use Force to Stop Iranian Nukes (Pew Research)
10/19/09: On Nuclear Iran, Diplomacy and Sanctions are Preferred to Hostilities (ABC News/Washington Post)
2/16/10: In U.S., 6 in 10 View Iran as Critical Threat to U.S. Interests (Gallup)

2/15/12: Public Takes Strong Stance Against Iran's Nuclear Program (Pew Research)
3/14/12: Concern About Broader War Dampens Support for Iran Attack (ABC News/Washington Post)

Israel

1/13/09: Modest Backing For Israel in Gaza Crisis (Pew Research)

1/29/09: Ideological Gaps Over Israel on Both Sides of Atlantic (Pew Research)
3/02/12: Americans Continue to Tilt Pro-Israel (Gallup)

General Foreign Affairs
4/27/09: Broad Backing for Cuba Relations (ABC News/Washington Post)

12/03/09: U.S. Seen as Less Important, China as More Powerful (Pew Research) 

2/08/10: Obama approval on Economy Down, on Foreign Affairs Up (Gallup/USA Today)
2/25/10: The Chinese Century? (ABC News)

8/24/10: Public Remains Conflicted Over Islam (Pew Research)

11/30/10: Voting in Foreign Policy Oblivion (Pew Research)

12/8/10: Most Say Wikileaks Release Harms Public Interest (Pew Research)
12/14/10: Wikileaks: A Document Dump Too Far (ABC News/Washington Post)

1/12/11: Strengthen Ties With China, But Get Tough on Trade (Pew Research)

3/9/11:  Continuing Divide in Views of Islam and Violence (Pew Research)

6/7/11: More Blame Wars than Domestic Spending or Tax Cuts for Nation's Debt (Pew Research)

6/10/11: Views of Middle East Unchanged by Recent Events (Pew Research)

6/16/11: In Shift from Bush Era, More Conservatives Say "Come Home, America" (Pew Research)