Serbia/Yugoslavia (2)

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Latest: May 13-14, 1999. N=405 adults nationwide.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Clinton is handling the situation in Kosovo?"

Approve

Disap-
prove

Don't
Know

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Serbia/Yugoslavia (2)
All data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

June 1999 polls
May 1999 polls -- see below
April 1999 polls
Feb.-March 1999 polls

Polls listed chronologically.

*CNN/Time* Poll** conducted by Yankelovich Partners. May 26-27, 1999. N=1,017 adults nationwide.
						.
		ALL	Repub- licans	Indepen- dents	Demo- crats
		%	%	%	%
"Do you think President Clinton is doing a good job or a poor job handling the situation in Kosovo?"
	Good job	47	29	41	66
	Bad job	42	60	49	25
	Not sure	11	11	10	9
						.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the U.S. being militarily involved in Yugoslavia?"
	Approve	53	43	53	61
	Disapprove	39	49	39	33
	Not sure	8	8	8	6
						.
"Do you favor or oppose sending U.S. ground troops, along with troops from other NATO countries, into the current situation in Yugoslavia?"
	Favor	43	38	40	48
	Oppose	52	58	54	46
	Not sure	5	4	6	6
						.
"If you had to choose, which of the following actions would you favor the United States taking? Continue bombing Yugoslavia until Yugoslavia agrees to U.S. and NATO demands. Temporarily stopping the bombing and holding negotiations with Yugoslavia. Permanently stopping the bombing and holding negotiations."
	Continue bombing	32	34	28	34
	Temporarily stop	39	38	38	42
	Permanently stop	24	24	29	19
	Not sure	5	4	5	5
						.
"Do you think it was a mistake for the United States to become militarily involved with Kosovo, or don't you think so?"
	Was a mistake	43	50	48	35
	Don't think so	51	44	47	60
	Not sure	6	6	5	5
						.
"In your view, is Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic a war criminal, or don't you think so?"
	Is a war criminal	69	74	64	72
	Don't think so	13	8	17	13
	Not sure	18	18	19	15

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll**. Latest: May 23-24, 1999. N=1,050 adults nationwide.
					.
"... As you may know, the military alliance of Western countries called NATO has launched air and missile attacks against Serbian military targets in Yugoslavia. Do you favor or oppose the United States being a part of that military action?"
		Favor	Oppose	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	5/23-24	49	47	4
	5/7-9	55	38	7
	4/30 - 5/2	58	36	6
	4/26-27	56	40	4
	4/21	51	39	10
	4/13-14	61	35	4
	4/6-7	58	36	6
	3/30-31	53	41	6
	3/25	50	39	11
					.
"If the current NATO air and missile strikes are not effective in achieving the United States' objectives in Kosovo, would you favor or oppose President Clinton sending U.S. ground troops into the region, along with troops from other NATO countries?".
		Favor	Oppose	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	5/23-24	40	57	3
	4/26-27	40	56	4
	4/13-14	52	45	3
	4/6-7	47	47	6
	3/30-31	39	57	4

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Latest: May 19-20, 1999. N=912 registered voters nationwide.
						.
"All things considered, do you think the United States should be involved in Kosovo or should we have stayed out of it?"
		5/19-20	4/7-8
		%	%
	Should be involved	45	54
	Stayed out	47	38
	Not sure	8	8
						.
"Do you think NATO airstrikes have made the situation in Kosovo better or worse?"
		%
	Better	28
	Worse	49
	Same (vol.)	7
	Not sure	16
						.
"Should the U.S. send ground troops into combat against the Serbian Army in Kosovo?"
		5/19-20	5/5-6
		%	%
	Yes	30	27
	No	60	59
	Not sure	10	14
						.
"As of right now, who do you think is winning the war in Kosovo: the U.S. and NATO, or the Serbs and Slobodan Milosevic?"
		5/19-20	5/5-6	4/21-22	4/7-8
		%	%	%	%
	U.S. and NATO	46	43	31	43
	Serbs and Milosevic	24	20	31	27
	Not sure	30	37	38	30

Program on International Policy Attitudes. May 13-17, 1999. N=1,206 adults nationwide.
			.
Asked of half the sample: "Do you now think NATO made the right decision or the wrong decision by starting the airstrikes against Yugoslavia?"
		%
	Right decision	48
	Wrong decision	33
	Don't know	19
			.
Asked of half the sample: "Do you agree or disagree that the White House made a mistake in announcing at the start that it was not planning to use ground forces?"
		%
	Agree, made a mistake	59
	Disagree, not a mistake	24
	Don't know	17
			.
Asked of half the sample: "If further bombing does not prove to be effective and NATO decides to intervene with ground troops how likely do you think it is that the operation will succeed at an acceptable cost?..."
		%
	Very likely	23
	Somewhat likely	34
	Not too likely	15
	Not at all likely	17
	Don't know	11
			.
"Now I am going to read you several arguments that are sometimes made about the situation in Kosovo. For each one, tell me if you find the argument convincing or unconvincing. Here's the first one: "If the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo continues, there is a chance that neighboring countries may become involved, leading to the spread of war in the region. Therefore the NATO effort to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo is good insurance."
		%
	Convincing	56
	Not convincing	40
	Don't know	5
			.
"The U.S. government under both Presidents Bush and Clinton said that if Serbia conducts ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, the United States would intervene with military force. Now that this is happening, the U.S. must follow through."
		%
	Convincing	61
	Not convincing	34
	Don't know	6
			.
"The Serbs' effort at 'ethnic cleansing' through killing many ethnic Albanians and driving hundreds of thousands of them out of Kosovo is a form of genocide. The U.S. has a moral obligation to join in efforts to stop this genocide."
		%
	Convincing	69
	Not convincing	28
	Don't know	4
			.
"It may or may not have been wise to launch the military strikes against Yugoslavia, but now that we have done so, we must persist and prevail. For NATO and the U.S. to promise to reverse ethnic cleansing and then fail would be a moral catastrophe for ourselves and the world."
		%
	Convincing	66
	Not convincing	31
	Don't know	3
			.
"There are many areas of the world where atrocities and even genocide have been committed, such as Rwanda and the Sudan, and we have not intervened there. Until we are ready to intervene in a consistent way, it is best to simply stay out of such situations, including Kosovo."
		%
	Convincing	53
	Not convincing	42
	Don't know	4
			.
"Kosovo is far from the U.S. and we have no real interests there. Therefore it is wrong to risk the lives of American soldiers in a NATO operation there."
		%
	Convincing	41
	Not convincing	56
	Don't know	3
			.
"The longer the NATO operations in Yugoslavia continue, the more likely it is that American soldiers will be killed. We should get out now before Americans come back home in body bags."
		%
	Convincing	52
	Not convincing	42
	Don't know	6
			.
"While NATO has been bombing around Belgrade, the Serb forces have been continuing ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. It is wrong to continue a military campaign that fails to confront the problem directly and effectively."
		%
	Convincing	51
	Not convincing	42
	Don't know	8
			.
Asked of half the sample: "Some people feel that NATO should send ground troops into Kosovo at this point. Do you favor or oppose this idea?"
		%
	Favor	33
	Oppose	59
	Don't know	8
			.
	If "Oppose" or "Don't know": "If after a period of further bombing NATO commanders conclude that the only way to stop the Serbs from conducting ethnic cleansing is to intervene with ground troops, would you or would you not support this?"
		%
	Would support ground troops	40
	Would not	55
	Don't know	5
			.
"Tell me which of the following statements you most agree with: (A) As a general principle, even if atrocities are being committed within a country, the international community should not intervene with military force because this would be a violation of the country's national sovereignty. (B) While respect for national borders is important, when large scale atrocities, such as genocide, are being committed, this justifies military intervention by the international community."
		%
	Statement A	29
	Statement B	62
	Don't know	9

Zogby America Poll. Latest: May 14-16, 1999. N=1,023 likely voters nationwide.
				.
"Overall, how would you rate the President's handling of the crisis in Kosovo: excellent, good, fair, or poor?"
		%
	Excellent	7
	Good	30
	Fair	29
	Poor	29
	Not sure	4
				.
"Does the documented massacres of Kosovo residents by Yugoslavian troops warrant an increase in bombing of military targets until President Milosevic agrees to sign a peace agreement negotiated in February?"
		5/99	4/99
		%	%
	Yes	58	67
	No	27	20
	Not sure	15	13
				.
"Does the documented massacres of Kosovo residents by Yugoslavian troops warrant the use of NATO and U.S. ground troops if Milosevic continues his policy of driving ethnic Albanians out of Kosovo?"
		5/99	4/99
		%	%
	Yes	50	55
	No	35	31
	Not sure	15	14

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll**. Latest: May 16, 1999. N=761 adults nationwide.
					.
"Do you support or oppose the United States and its European allies conducting airstrikes against Serbia?"
		Support	Oppose	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	5/16	59	38	3
	4/25-26	65	30	5
	4/8	64	32	4
	4/5-6	67	30	3
	4/5	68	29	3
	3/28-30	55	33	11
	3/26-28	55	33	12
	3/26	60	31	9
					.
"Suppose the bombing does not stop Serbia’s military action in Kosovo. Would you support or oppose the United States and its European allies sending in ground troops to try to end the conflict in Kosovo?"
		Support	Oppose	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	5/16	52	46	2
	4/25-26	56	40	4
	4/8	57	39	4
	4/5-6	57	39	5
	4/5	55	41	4
					.
"Do you think the United States and its European allies in the NATO alliance should negotiate with Serbia on terms for ending the conflict, or should they continue to require Serbia to accept NATO's terms?"
		%
	Negotiate terms	58
	Require NATO's terms	38
	No opinion	5
					.
"Should the NATO allies continue bombing Serbia to keep pressure on it to withdraw from Kosovo, or should the NATO allies suspend the bombing of Serbia to encourage Serbia to withdraw?"
		%
	Continue bombing	52
	Suspend bombing	44
	No opinion	4
					.
"As you may know, some civilians have been killed in the airstrikes against Serbia, and recently the NATO allies bombed the Chinese consulate in Serbia's capital. Do you think that the United States and its European allies are not being careful enough to avoid civilian casualties, or do you think these are just unavoidable accidents of war?"
		%
	Not being careful	32
	Unavoidable accidents	66
	No opinion	2
					.
"As of now, which side do you think is winning the Kosovo conflict: Serbia or the United States and its European allies?"
		5/16	4/25-26
		%	%
	U.S. and allies	45	47
	Serbia	22	25
	Neither/Draw (vol.)	28	21
	No opinion	5	6

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Assoc. Latest: May 12-16, 1999. N=1,179 adults nationwide.
						.
"Now I will read a list of some stories covered by news organizations this past month. As I read each item, tell me if you happened to follow this news story very closely, fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely. . . ."
		Very Closely	Fairly Closely	Not Too Closely	Not At All Closely	Don't Know
		%	%	%	%	%
	"NATO airstrikes against Serbian forces"
	5/12-16	32	38	19	10	1
	4/15-18	41	39	13	7	-
						.
	"The bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade by a NATO warplane"
	5/12-16	24	33	25	17	1
						.
"Do you approve or disapprove of NATO forces, including the United States, conducting airstrikes against Serbia to force the Serbs to agree to the terms of the peace agreement and end the fighting in Kosovo?"
		5/99	4/99	3/99
		%	%	%
	Approve	53	62	60
	Disapprove	38	29	29
	Don't know/Refused	9	9	11
						.
Half sample: "If the airstrikes do not stop Serbian military attacks in Kosovo, would you favor or oppose sending U.S. ground troops to Kosovo along with troops from other NATO countries?"
		5/99	4/99
		%	%
	Favor	44	47
	Oppose	49	48
	Don't know/Refused	7	5
						.
"Here are some reasons being given for using U.S. troops to help secure peace in Kosovo, Serbia. For each one, please tell me whether, in your opinion, it is a very important reason, a somewhat important reason, a not too important reason, or not at all important reason for the use of U.S. troops. How about [see below]? Is this a very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not at all important reason for the use of U.S. troops?"
		Very Impor- tant	Some- what Impor- tant	Not Too Impor- tant	Not At All Impor- tant	Don't Know/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	"To prevent a larger war involving other countries in that part of Europe"
	5/12-16	52	27	8	8	5
	4/15-18	56	24	11	7	2
	3/24-28	53	29	9	6	3
						.
	"To prevent the killing of citizens in Kosovo"
	5/12-16	69	18	4	4	5
	4/15-18	69	19	6	5	1
						.
	*"To prevent the killing of innocent* citizens in Kosovo"**
	3/24-28	68	21	4	5	2
						.
	*"To end* starvation and a major refugee problem in that region"**
	5/12-16	57	26	6	7	4
	4/15-18	59	26	8	5	2
						.
	*"To prevent* starvation and a major refugee problem in that region"**
	3/24-28	55	30	6	6	3
						.
"How worried are you that U.S. troops in Kosovo might suffer casualties: very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?"
		5/99	4/99	3/99
		%	%	%
	Very worried	56	66	55
	Somewhat worried	31	25	32
	Not too worried	7	5	9
	Not at all worried	3	3	3
	Don't know/Refused	3	1	1
						.
"How worried are you about the financial cost of sending U.S. troops to Kosovo: very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?"
		5/99	4/99	3/99
		%	%	%
	Very worried	35	38	20
	Somewhat worried	35	35	34
	Not too worried	16	16	26
	Not at all worried	11	11	17
	Don't know/Refused	3	-	3
						.
Half sample (Form 1): *"How worried are you that innocent people* are being hurt or killed by U.S. and NATO airstrikes: very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?"**
		%
	Very worried	50
	Somewhat worried	34
	Not too worried	9
	Not at all worried	4
	Don't know/Refused	3
						.
Half sample (Form 2): *"How worried are you that Serbian civilians* are being hurt or killed by U.S. and NATO airstrikes: very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?"**
		5/99	4/99
		%	%
	Very worried	37	40
	Somewhat worried	40	38
	Not too worried	13	16
	Not at all worried	6	5
	Don't know/Refused	4	1
						.
Asked of those who said they followed the bombing "very," "fairly," or "not too closely" (see question above): "Some people have charged that the U.S. bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade on purpose. Other people say the bombing was just a mistake. What is your opinion -- did the U.S. bomb the Chinese Embassy on purpose, or was the bombing just a mistake?"
		%
	Bombed on purpose	13
	Bombing was a mistake	77
	Don't know	10