Most Americans Fear Fallout From Egypt Crisis But Want America To Stay Out of It
Most Americans expect the unrest in Egypt to spread to other Middle Eastern countries and think that will be bad for the United States. But a sizable majority also believe the United States should keep its nose out of Egypt’s current problems.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 75% of American Adults think it is at least somewhat likely that the unrest in Egypt will spread to other Middle Eastern countries, with 37% who say it is Very Likely. Only 11% say that’s not very or not at all likely to happen. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Fifty-nine percent (59%) say if the unrest in Egypt spreads to other countries, it will be bad for the United States. Just eight percent (8%) think the spreading popular discontent will be good for America, while 11% predict it will have no impact. However, nearly one-in-four Americans (23%) aren’t sure.
There’s an even higher level of uncertainty – 31% - when Americans are asked what impact the overthrow of the Egyptian government will have on the United States. Five percent (5%) think the impact will be a good one, but 38% say it will be bad for America. Twenty-six percent (26%) say it will have no impact.
Still, only seven percent (7%) of Americans think the United States should help the current Egyptian government stay in power. Seventy percent (70%) think America should leave the situation alone. Twenty-three percent (23%) aren’t sure what we should do.
This sentiment is shared strongly across all demographic categories.
(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 Adults was conducted on January 28-29, 2011 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.
Related Articles
Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.
We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.
Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.
To learn more about our methodology, click here.
