American Students Favor Iraq Troop Reduction
By Jason Szep
BOSTON — Three out of five American college students support a U.S. troops reduction in Iraq and nearly three quarters think the United Nations and other countries should take the lead in solving future global crises, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
The findings were contained in a nationwide telephone survey of 1,200 college students conducted March 13-27 by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
About 60 percent of the students said the United States should begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, up 20 points from a survey last November. But only 12 percent favored a complete end to the U.S. military presence there.
The survey suggested that students were slightly more negative about the war than the general public. An ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Tuesday found 52 percent of respondents saying the United States should begin withdrawing forces from Iraq.
"One important finding among the students is that 39 percent identified Iraq as their number one concern, which is higher than the country as a whole," Jeanne Shaheen, director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics, said in an interview.
In the poll, which included students from 250 colleges, nearly three out of four wanted the United States to let the United Nations and other countries take the lead in solving global crises and conflicts.
"There’s definitely a world view among college students that appreciates the need to act in the international community," said Shaheen.
Some 53 percent of students opposed President George W. Bush’s program of domestic eavesdropping of suspected terrorists. Other polls have shown a majority of all Americans approve of the tactic.
Bush’s personal approval rating was at a record low in the 6-year-old survey at 33 percent, having dropped 8 percentage points from the last survey in November. In the ABC/Washington Post poll of all voters, it was 38 percent.
In a hypothetical race for the White House in 2008, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York emerged as frontrunners, each with 40 percent support among students.
About 70 percent of students said religion played an important role in their lives but most were uncomfortable mixing religion with politics.
The poll showed 32 percent of students said the United States should prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, using unilateral military force if necessary. But 37 percent were unsure and 29 percent opposed military force in Iran.