Half of respondents believe the federal government has not provided enough information about the war.
People in Canada are now more supportive of the country’s military commitment in Afghanistan, but are critical of the way their federal government has dispersed information related to the conflict, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The online survey of a representative national sample of 1,007 Canadian adults also reveals that a majority of respondents believe media outlets in Canada have provided the right amount of attention to Afghanistan.
The Mission
This month, 47 per cent of respondents (up five points since December) say they support the military operation involving Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, while 49 per cent oppose it (down four points).
Since October, support for the military mission has increased by 10 points.
Western Canadians are particularly supportive of the mission (57% in British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba and Saskatchewan), while two-thirds of Quebecers (67%) oppose the operation.
Canadians remain divided on whether the country was right to send military forces to Afghanistan, with 37 per cent believing this was the correct decision, and 39 per cent stating that the operation was a mistake. Overall, 57 per cent of Canadians say they have a clear idea of what the war in Afghanistan is about.
When The War is Over
When asked about what they think will be the most likely outcome of the war in Afghanistan, nine per cent of Canadians expect a clear victory by U.S. and NATO forces over the Taliban, 27 per cent foresee a negotiated settlement from a position of U.S. and NATO strength that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government.
In addition, 14 per cent of respondents believe the Taliban will play a significant role in Afghanistan after the war is over, and a further 10 per cent believe U.S. and NATO forces will ultimately be defeated by the Taliban.
Obama’s Plan
Canadians remain skeptical about the plan for Afghanistan outlined by U.S. President Barack Obama. Just over a third of respondents (36%) are very or moderately confident that the Obama Administration will be able “finish the job” in Afghanistan, while a majority (53%) are not too confident or not confident at all. These numbers show little fluctuation since December.
The Media and the Government
Canadians appear satisfied with the way the country’s media outlets have covered the ongoing conflict. A majority of respondents (56%) claim that the media has provided the right amount of attention to Afghanistan, while 20 per cent think it has been too little, and 13 per cent say it has been too much.
Only three-in-ten Canadians (29%) think the federal government has provided the right amount of information about the war in Afghanistan, while more than half (53%) think it has been too little.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Jodi Shanoff, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
+416 712 5498
jodi.shanoff@angus-reid.com
What coverage? They have yet to cover anything on the truth of why they are there. Remember the reporters that were going to travel with the troops near front lines and give coverage like we have never seen… well guess what, the few that bothered to try and cover the disgusting treatment of the afghan people left very fast realizing what was really happening there. Any reporter that wanted to publish the truth was threatened with financial, and physical harm. Bush family is even documented as giving Hussein Obama death threats on his family if he does not play along. Trust your intuition.
Nine years after the invasion of Afghanistan the only results are: warlords elected to their government; increase in opium production to create havoc for people around the world; needless death of civilians; the tarnishing of Canada’s ‘peace keeping’ reputation; the loss of Canadian soldiers’ lives; and the vast waste of Canadian resources to fund this farcical ‘war on terrorism’. It is past due that we get out of this ‘oil and drug’ war.
Unfortunately, the United Nations has not been successful in fullfilling its role as peacekeeper; where are the rest of the countries that are members of the UN??? The peace keeping countries of the world need to unite and support the efforts to eliminate ‘war on terrorism’. Be the sleeping giant that awakes to the call of justice and world peace. It is with deep sadness that I must respond to Crob000 – there have been journalists killed trying to get the ‘news’, are you willing to go in their place?
Judaeo–Christian cultures – America, United Nations, and Israel have bombed, invaded and otherwise killed an extraordinary number of Muslims in the last Seven Years.
In Iraq, over a million souls… and no-one knows how many Afghanis and Pakistanis have been slaughtered by the WESTERN military and the predator drones (War of the Worlds).
Then move on to Yemen and Somalia where operations by the CIA have caused the death of many civilians.
Then to Iran, where the President George W Bush has given the CIA approval to launch covert “black” operations to achieve regime change in Iran.
And ultimately, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, Gaza and the bombing of Syria.
That’s nine Muslim countries, in seven years that we have attacked!
It seems that Muslims have a high tolerance for punishment….if what we are doing to them, was done to us, there would be total war as a response – we would go biblical on them.
Time to stop stroking our inner coward, and call our leaders and media to an accounting for what they have wrought on our world.