Public Confidence Of “Victory” In Afghanistan Hits New Low

A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows that the number of Americans who think we will eventually win the war in Afghanistan has hit a new low:

Voter confidence in the outcome of the War in Afghanistan has fallen to a new low.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 34% of Likely U.S. Voters now believe it is possible for the United States to win the war in Afghanistan. That’s down 13 points from 47% in February of this year.

Forty-two percent (42%) say it is not possible to win the nine-year-old war there, while another 24% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

A year ago, just after President Obama announced his new strategy for the war, 51% of voters believed a U.S. victory in Afghanistan was possible. Prior to the speech, however, only 39% felt that way.

The fact that this dip is occurring at a time when the war has been out of the headlines is as good an indication as any of the fact that Americans are war-weary, and should be a signal to the Obama Administration that beginning the wind-down of American intervention is not nearly as politically risky as they seem to think.

FILED UNDER: Afghanistan War, Asia, National Security, US Politics, World Politics, , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.