GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The United States launched its first military strike in Afghanistan last week, nearly one month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. President Bush has cautioned the American public that, while progress is being made, it will take time for the United States to accomplish its goals of defeating terrorist networks throughout the world. Recent polls show that Americans are displaying considerable patience with the effort to date, believing that the first United States military action -- nearly one month after the terrorist attacks -- occurred at the right time. Americans also show a preference for a longer war to defeat global terrorist networks as opposed to a more limited military operation to punish the terrorist groups responsible for the events of Sept. 11. Many Americans believe the current military campaign against terrorism will last for several years.
Long War Expected
The United States has not been involved in long-lasting military combat since the Vietnam War. More recent military action in Iraq and Kosovo lasted just months rather than years. Nevertheless, a review of recent polls shows that a majority of the American public has already accepted the notion that the current war will be a long one.
A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted on Oct. 7, the day the United States' military action in Afghanistan began, shows that a substantial proportion of Americans expect extended military combat in Afghanistan. When asked how long the fighting will continue, 48% say it will take at least a year, including 22% who say it will continue for more than two years. An additional 34% believe it will last for several months and only 10% think it will last a few weeks or less.
More generally, when asked about how long the United States' campaign against terrorism will be, 62% say it will be "long and last for several years," according to an Oct. 7 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. About one in four say it will be of "medium" duration and "last one or two years," and just 7% think it will be "short" and last "for a few months."
An ABC News poll also conducted Oct. 7 finds that by an 82% to 18% margin, Americans think this will be a "long war" as opposed to "a quick military action." An earlier Gallup poll, conducted September 21-22, finds 92% of the public saying the war on terrorism will be long and 94% saying it will be difficult.
Public Has Been Patient With Military Action
Prior to start of the military attacks on Afghanistan on Oct. 7, some critics had suggested that the United States should have taken military action sooner. Only a small percentage of the American public agrees with this criticism, however. A CBS News poll of Oct. 8 shows that 60% of Americans believe the United States did the right thing in starting the campaign when it did, while 21% thought it should have started sooner and 10% thought the United States should have waited longer. Only 14% in the Oct. 7 ABC News poll say the United States should have done more to find a diplomatic solution before attacking Afghanistan, while 82% say the U.S. did enough in this regard.
Americans have expressed patience regarding the commencement of military strikes throughout the terrorism crisis. A Sept. 27-28 Newsweek poll found 63% saying the United States should take as long as necessary to plan military action, while just 18% said that military action should have already started. A Sept. 14-15 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found only 23% in favor of the United States taking immediate military action against known terrorist organizations, while a majority preferred to see the United States wait to identify the groups responsible for the attacks before conducting military action.
In addition to showing patience, Americans seem willing to put up with additional hardships if necessary to defeat terrorism. The Sept. 14-15 Gallup poll showed that among those who support military action, about eight in 10 say they would be willing to endure a prolonged economic recession, oil and gas shortages, and further terrorist attacks in the United States if any of those occurred as a result of American military action.
Americans Continue to Favor Broader War Against Terrorism
A plurality of Americans, 49%, favored a long-term war to defeat global terrorist networks, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Oct. 5-6, while 43% preferred that the United States take military action only to punish the specific groups involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Two other recent polls suggest that support for a broader military mission may be increasing, following the United States' military action in Afghanistan. Seventy-one percent in the Oct. 7 ABC News poll favored a broad war against terrorists and the nations that support them while just 25% believed the United States should limit its action to the groups responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll of Oct. 7 found similar results, with 61% favoring a broad campaign against international terrorist organizations and 32% in favor of limiting military action to Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network.
