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Afghanistan

Most Recent Releases

September 17, 2021

Afghanistan: Leaving Americans Behind Is ‘Humiliation,’ Voters Agree

The revelation this week by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that thousands of U.S. green card holders have been left behind in Afghanistan has voters worried that these Americans will become Taliban hostages, and most agree it is a “national humiliation.”

September 6, 2021

Afghanistan: Most Voters Blame Biden, Would Back Military Rescue of Hostages

A majority of voters blame President Joe Biden’s administration for the chaos surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and more than two-thirds would support using military force to rescue Americans left behind.

Investigating Afghanistan
September 2, 2021

Voters Want Congress to Investigate Afghanistan Withdrawal

Less than a third of voters consider the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan a success, and a solid majority think Congress should investigate what went wrong.

White letter R on blue background
August 30, 2021

Majority Rate Biden ‘Poor’ on Afghanistan, Fear Hundreds of Americans Left Behind

Voters have turned sharply against President Joe Biden on his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, and most believe that hundreds of Americans will be left behind after the August 31 deadline.

Reporting on Afghanistan
August 26, 2021

Most Voters Don’t Trust What Officials or Media Are Saying About Afghanistan

A majority of voters don’t trust either President Joe Biden’s administration or the news media to tell the truth about the situation in Afghanistan, and most think it’s worse than they’re being told.

USA and Afghanistan
August 24, 2021

Afghanistan: Most Voters Say Biden Administration Not Doing Enough to Rescue Americans

President Joe Biden’s administration is not doing enough to get Americans out of Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of that country, according to a majority of voters.

White letter R on blue background
August 23, 2021

Afghanistan: Get Americans Out First, Voters Say

Voters place more importance on getting U.S. citizens out of Afghanistan than they do on evacuating refugees seeking to flee the Taliban.

April 19, 2021

48% Say Withdrawing U.S. Troops From Afghanistan Is a Good Idea

President Joe Biden announced last week his plan to end America’s longest war by withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and nearly half of voters approve his decision.

August 13, 2019

Voters Waver on Role of U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

The Trump administration’s negotiations with the Taliban may soon bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan. Fewer voters than ever see Afghanistan as important to America’s well-being, but most still stop short of supporting a complete troop withdrawal.

July 30, 2018

Do Voters Know We’re Still At War With Afghanistan?

U.S. airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan are on the rise, but one-in-five voters aren’t even aware that the 17-year war in Afghanistan is still going on, and fewer see the Middle Eastern nation as a national security interest.

August 23, 2017

Voters See Win in Afghanistan As Unlikely

The United States has been at war in Afghanistan for nearly 16 years, but even following President Trump’s announcement of a troop surge there, voters remain skeptical that victory is on the horizon.

April 24, 2017

Voters Say Stay the Course in Afghanistan

The United States dropped their biggest non-nuclear bomb on an ISIS camp in Afghanistan earlier this month, and while nearly half of voters still see the Middle East nation as a national security interest, they’re not convinced the situation there is likely to change.

October 21, 2015

Do Voters Agree With President Obama’s Plans For Afghanistan?

It’s the war that keeps on going. America’s drawn out presence in Afghanistan is set to go even longer following President Obama’s announcement last week that thousands more U.S. troops will remain there indefinitely. Voters tend to agree with the decision, but are more critical of the administration’s handling of the situation and remain puzzled as to what the United States has actually achieved there.

March 25, 2015

Afghanistan By The Numbers

President Obama has agreed to new Afghani President Ashraf Ghani’s request to delay U.S. troop withdrawals as America’s longest-running war keeps dragging on. Ghani is expected to give his thanks to the U.S. Congress in a speech today.

President George W. Bush launched the war in October 2001 to end Afghanistan’s harboring of al Qaeda terrorists training against the United States, but 13-and-a-half years later, few Americans believe that goal has been reached.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

January 2, 2015

Voters Say Mission Not Accomplished in Afghanistan

President George W. Bush launched the war in Afghanistan to end that country’s harboring of al Qaeda terrorists training against the United States, but over 13 years later as the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan comes to a close, few Americans believe that goal has been reached.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 15% of Likely U.S. Voters think the U.S. mission to end Afghanistan’s harboring of al Qaeda terrorists has been accomplished. Sixty-four percent (64%) believe America’s longest running war has not accomplished what was originally intended. Twenty-two percent (22%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 29-30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Nate Derrick / Shutterstock.com
December 31, 2014

Most Voters Now Favor Leaving Troops Behind in Afghanistan

President Obama officially ended the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan on Sunday, but most voters support his decision to keep several thousand troops there until 2016 for training and counterterrorism purposes. Still, voters tend to think history will not be kind to America’s decision to invade Afghanistan in 2001.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of Likely U.S. Voters think U.S. troops should remain in Afghanistan in a limited non-combat role though 2016. That’s up from 48% who supported the president’s decision to keep some troops there after he announced it in late May. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update ? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 29-30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

November 26, 2014

Just 28% Favor Expanded U.S. Combat Role in Afghanistan

Voters aren’t enthusiastic about President Obama’s plan to expand the military's fighting mission in Afghanistan, but they’re slightly more confident an American win is possible in the nation’s longest-running war.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters now consider Afghanistan a vital national security interest for the United States, up slightly from 32% in February and 36% in late May. Just as many (39%) disagree, but that’s down from 48% six months ago. A sizable 22% are still not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on November 24-25, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

June 12, 2014

Opposition to Bergdahl POW Swap Rises to 54%

Public opinion is shifting away from support for the prisoner swap that brought U.S. POW Bowe Bergdahl home from Afghanistan.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters now disagree with the decision to release five Taliban leaders from the Guantanamo terrorist prison camp in exchange for the one U.S. military prisoner of war being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.  That’s up 11 points from 43% a week ago.

Just 29% agree with the Obama administration’s decision to make the prisoner swap, an 11-point drop from 40% last week. Sixteen percent (16%) are still undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 10-11, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

June 2, 2014

48% Support Keeping Some U.S. Troops in Afghanistan, 44% Oppose

President Obama announced last week plans to withdraw all but 9,800 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year and fully withdraw troops by the end of 2016. Nearly half of voters support leaving some troops in Afghanistan through 2016, but most are not convinced America is any safer because of the U.S. mission there.

Forty-eight percent (48%) of Likely U.S. Voters believe some U.S. troops should remain in Afghanistan through 2016, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Nearly as many (44%), however, think the United States should withdraw all troops by the end of this year. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 29-30, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Nate Derrick / Shutterstock.com
February 17, 2014

59% More Worried U.S. Troops Will Remain in Afghanistan Too Long

As officials from both countries continue to debate the plan for America’s occupation of Afghanistan after 2014, U.S. voters continue to express pessimism about the war and want troops withdrawn immediately. But belief that the country is a vital U.S. national security interest has risen following the release of Afghan prisoners last week against repeated U.S. objections.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 23% of Likely Voters think it is possible for the United States to win the war in Afghanistan. Fifty-three percent (53%) say victory is not possible, while 24% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 14-15, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology