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    War On Terrorism (p. 2)

Polls listed chronologically. Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

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CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 15-19, 2006. N=1,131 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults).

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"Do you think the Bush Administration has a clear plan for protecting the United States from terrorism, or not?"

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Has a Plan

Does Not
Have a Plan

 Unsure    
% % %    
9/15-19/06 51 45 4    

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"Do you think it is sometimes justified to use torture to get information from a suspected terrorist, or is torture never justified?"

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Sometimes
Justified

Never
Justified

Depends
(vol.)

 Unsure  
% % % %  
ALL adults 35 56 5 4  
  Republicans 50 38 6 6  
  Democrats 25 67 5 3  
  Independents 32 59 4 5  

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"When it comes to dealing with people suspected of involvement in terrorist attacks against the United States, which would you prefer: trying them in open criminal court with a jury, a unanimous verdict, and a civilian judge; OR, trying them in a closed military court with a military judge and without a unanimous verdict?"

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Criminal
Court

Military
Court

 Unsure    
% % %    
9/15-19/06 49 46 5    

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"Do you think Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?"

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Yes No Unsure    
% % %    
9/15-19/06 31 57 12    
8/17-21/06 31 60 9    

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"Which comes closer to your view? In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it confronts the countries and groups that promote terrorism in the Middle East. OR, In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it stays out of other countries' affairs in the Middle East."

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Confronts

Stays Out

 Unsure    
% % %    
ALL adults 47 45 8    
  Republicans 69 25 6    
  Democrats 29 63 8    
  Independents 44 44 12    
 

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"What do you think is the ultimate goal of groups like Al Qaeda? Is their goal to take over the Middle East and control that region for themselves, or is their goal to destroy the United States itself?"

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Take Over
Middle East

Destroy
United States

Both (vol.)

Neither (vol.)

Unsure
% % % % %
9/15-19/06 26 48 15 3 8

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"Do you believe the terrorist threat from Islamic fundamentalism is constantly growing and presents a real, immediate danger to the United States, or not?"

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Immediate
Danger

Not an
Immediate
Danger

 Unsure    
% % %    
9/15-19/06 76 18 6    

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"When it comes to the treatment of prisoners of war, should the United States follow the international agreements that it and other countries have agreed to, or should the U.S. do what it thinks is right, even if other countries disagree?"

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Follow
Agreements

Do What It
Thinks Right

 Unsure    
% % %    
9/15-19/06 63 32 5    

 

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Sept. 15-17, 2006. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

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"What impact do you think this fall's elections will have on terrorism in the U.S.? Do you think the country would be safer from terrorism if the Republicans keep control of Congress, would be safer from terrorism if the Democrats gain control of Congress, or would it not make a difference either way?"

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Safer if
Republicans
Control		 Safer if
Democrats
Control		 No Differ-
ence (vol.)		 Unsure  
% % % %  

9/15-17/06

 31 21 44 3  

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"As you may know, the Bush Administration has been wiretapping telephone conversations between U.S. citizens living in the United States and suspected terrorists living in other countries without getting a court order allowing it to do so. Do you think the Bush Administration was right or wrong in wiretapping these conversations without obtaining a court order?"

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Right Wrong Unsure    
% % %    

9/15-17/06

 55 42 3    

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"As you may know, in the U.S. legal system the government is required to show defendants the evidence it has against them. In some terrorism trials, the government believes that showing defendants certain evidence may put American lives in danger. In your view, which would be worse: convicting defendants of terrorism based on evidence they are never shown, or having some terrorism suspects go free because the government chooses to withhold evidence rather than show it to the defendant?" Options rotated

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Convicting on
Evidence
Never Shown		 Having Some
Suspects
Go Free		 Unsure    
% % %    

9/15-17/06

 48 41 11    

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"When interrogating prisoners, members of the U.S. military are required to abide by the Geneva Convention standards which prohibit the humiliating and degrading treatment of prisoners. When the CIA, or Central Intelligence Agency, questions suspects whom they believe to have information about possible terror plots against the United States, do you think they should have to abide by the same Geneva Convention standards that apply to the U.S. military, or they should be able to use more forceful interrogation techniques than the Geneva Convention standards that apply to the U.S. military?" Options rotated

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Geneva
Standards		 More
Forceful		 Other/
Depends (vol.)		 Unsure  
% % % %  

9/15-17/06

 57 38 2 3  

 

 

ABC News Poll. Sept. 5-7, 2006. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults). Fieldwork by TNS.

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"What would you say is the single most significant event that has happened in your lifetime, in terms of its importance to the United States and the world?" Open-ended

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%

9/11

 46

Iraq War

 6

Personal events

 4

Vietnam War

 3

World War II

 3

Economy

 3

War on terrorism

 3

Other

 18

Unsure

 13

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"Do you think the U.S. campaign against terrorism is going very well, fairly well, not too well or not well at all?"

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  Very Well Fairly Well Not Too Well Not Well
at All		 Unsure
% % % % %
9/5-7/06 7 45 26 21 1
6/22-25/06 13 44 23 18 2
12/03 17 47 21 12 2
10/03 8 54 23 14 1
9/03 12 57 19 10 2
4/03 26 57 10 6 1
9/02 15 58 17 9 1
7/02 15 60 16 8 1
4/02 11 63 17 9 1
3/02 21 63 10 6 1
1/02 32 56 8 4 1

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"Compared to before September 11, 2001, do you think the country today is safer from terrorism or less safe from terrorism?"

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  Safer Less Safe No Differ-
ence (vol.)		 Unsure
% % % %
9/5-7/06 55 37 6 2
6/22-25/06 59 33 7 1
3/2-5/06 56 35 8 1
1/23-26/06 64 30 6 -

8/18-21/05

 49 38 11 2
1/15-18/04 67 24 8 1
9/4-7/03 67 27 4 2

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"Do you think the Bush Administration has been overstating the level of threat the United States faces from terrorism, understating it, or accurately describing it?" Options rotated

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  Overstating Understating Accurate Unsure
% % % %

9/5-7/06

 29 28 39 4

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"How much confidence do you have in the ability of the U.S. government to prevent further terrorist attacks against Americans in this country: a great deal, a good amount, only a fair amount or none at all?"

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  A Great Deal A Good
Amount		 Only a Fair
Amount		 None at All Unsure
% % % % %

9/5-7/06

 15 31 43 10 1
1/23-26/06 19 31 39 11 -

9/8-11/05

 14 27 41 18 -

8/18-21/05

 14 28 43 15 -
9/03 14 31 48 7 1
9/02 12 38 43 6 -
7/02 13 33 45 9 -
6/02 14 30 44 11 -
5/02 17 29 42 10 2
3/02 18 38 39 5 -
1/02 18 40 37 6 1
11/27/01 24 39 32 5 1
11/5-6/01 17 35 40 7 1
9/11/01 35 31 30 2 1
6/97 10 26 52 10 3
8/96 12 23 49 16 -
5/95 12 24 51 12 1

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"Do you think the United States is doing all it reasonably can do to try to prevent further terrorist attacks, or do you think it should do more?"

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  Doing All
 It Can		 Should
Do More		 Unsure
% % %

9/5-7/06

 38 60 2

8/18-21/05

 43 54 2

4/15-18/04

 56 42 1

9/4-7/03

 56 42 2
12/02 55 43 2
6/02 56 40 4
5/02 54 42 4
3/02 66 33 1
12/01 59 40 1
11/27/01 62 36 1
11/5-6/01 56 43 2
10/15/01 68 29 3
10/8-9/01 71 27 2

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"How concerned are you about the possibility there will be more major terrorist attacks in the United States? Is that something that worries you a great deal, somewhat, not too much or not at all?"

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  A Great Deal Somewhat Not Too Much Not at All Unsure
% % % % %
9/5-7/06 29 45 17 8 -
9/03 25 46 20 9 -
3/03 29 47 16 8 1
2/03 27 45 18 9 1
9/02 22 52 19 7 0
7/02 29 44 20 7 -
4/02 30 43 18 9 -
3/02 23 47 21 9 1
12/01 27 43 22 8 1
10/15/01 35 43 14 9 0
10/8-9/01 36 46 12 6 -
10/7/01 41 40 13 4 1

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"How concerned are you about the chance that you personally might be the victim of a terrorist attack? Does that worry you a great deal, somewhat, not too much or not at all?"

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  A Great Deal Somewhat Not Too Much Not at All Unsure
% % % % %
9/5-7/06 10 25 35 29 -
9/03 10 24 34 31 -
2/03 10 23 37 28 2
9/02 7 25 35 33 -<