Global Poll Finds Widespread Belief that Afghans Want NATO Forces Out

COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of nations around the world finds that most publics believe that the Afghan people want NATO forces to leave Afghanistan now. On average 53 percent have this belief, while 30 percent assume that most Afghans want NATO forces to stay.

Among those who believe the Afghan people want NATO forces to leave, 76 percent say that NATO forces should leave. Among those who believe the Afghan people want NATO forces to stay, 83 percent say NATO forces should stay. Overall, on average, 37 percent think NATO forces should remain in Afghanistan, while 50 percent think the mission should be ended now.

In 18 of 20 nations polled (including Pakistan where many Afghan Taliban insurgents are based) most think it would be bad if the Taliban were to regain power in Afghanistan. “Even though there is widespread concern about the possibility of the Taliban regaining power in Afghanistan, most people seem to be saying that the Afghan people should decide whether or when NATO forces leave,” comments Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org.

The belief that most Afghans want NATO forces out is widespread in majority-Muslim nations, and widely held in Russia, Germany, and Mexico. The belief that the Afghan people want NATO to stay is the dominant position in India, the US, Nigeria, Kenya, and Azerbaijan.

In the most recent polling in Afghanistan, a majority of 59 percent of Afghans supported the NATO forces’ presence in the country. (ABC/BBC/ARD, January 2009)

Respondents were also asked about the recent increase in US troops in Afghanistan. On average, 54 percent disapprove of the increase (34% approved). However, in all nations where more believe that Afghans support the NATO presence, most people support the increase.

WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 19,178 respondents in 20 nations comprising 62 percent of the world’s population (China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kenya, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, and South Korea).

WorldPublicOpinion.org, a collaborative project involving research centers worldwide, is managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. The surveys were conducted April 4-June 18, 2009 (Margins of error range from +/-3 -4%)

For more information, please visit www.worldpublicopinion.org

SOURCE Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland