Thirty-eight percent (38%) of American adults believe that the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq will make the U.S. less safe than it is today. Another 38% disagree and say it will have little or no impact. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 17% believe that withdrawing troops from Iraq will make the U.S. safer.

As you would expect, there are significant partisan divides on this point. Democrats are evenly divided. Twenty-four percent (24%) say a troop withdrawal will make the U.S. safer. Another 24% of Democrats say withdrawing the troops from Iraq will make the troops less safe while 41% expect the nation will remain about as safe as it is today.

Among Republicans, 59% believe that withdrawing troops will make the U.S. less safe. Twenty-eight percent (28%) believe it will have little impact while only 9% of the GOP faithful believe withdrawing troops from Iraq will make the U.S. safer. As for those not affiliated with either major party, 43% say withdrawing troops will leave the U.S. about as safe as it is today; 32% say the nation will be less safe and 18% say it will be safer.

One thing that just about everyone agrees upon is that withdrawing troops from Iraq will not end the terrorist threat. Only 8% think that will happen while 76% believe that terrorists will continue trying to attack the United States even after U.S. combat troops leave Iraq.

Other surveys have shown that most Americans want to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq. However, half are willing to wait until the official progress report is received in September before initiating major policy changes. Just 32% believe the U.S. can win the war in Iraq. Partly, perhaps largely, because of the situation in Iraq, just 33% of Americans now believe our nation’s best days are still to come.

The survey also found that 39% say the terrorist will be stronger than they are today if U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq. Forty-one percent (41%) say the terrorists will remain as strong as they are today while just 12% believe the terrorists will be in a weaker position.

Fifty percent (50%) of Americans believe that withdrawing the troops will leave the Iraqi people less safe than they are today. Only 10% believe the Iraqi people will be safer while 33% believe little will change for the Iraqi’s. An earlier survey found that Americans expect an increase in sectarian violence when the U.S. troops leave. At the same time, however, Americans expect that life for the Iraqi people will still be better than it was under the regime of Saddam Hussein.