International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan

International public opinion is largely opposed to the war in Afghanistan. A 47-nation global survey of public opinion conducted in June 2007 by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to the NATO military operations in Afghanistan. In 2 out of the 47 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping troops in Afghanistan – Israel (59%) and Kenya (60%). On the other hand, in 41 of the 47 countries pluralities want NATO troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. In 32 out of 47 countries majorities want NATO troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries want troops withdrawn as soon as possible.

The 24-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2008 again found that majorities or pluralities in 21 of 24 countries want NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible. In 3 out of the 24 countries – the U.S. (50%), Australia (60%), and Britain (48%) – did public opinion lean more toward keeping troops there until the situation has stabilized. Since then, public opinion in Australia and Britain has shifted, and the majority of Australians and Britons now also want their troops to be brought home from Afghanistan. Of the seven NATO countries in the survey, not one showed a majority in favor of keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – one, the U.S., came close to a majority (50%). Of the other six NATO countries, five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible.

The 25-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2009 continued to find that the war in Afghanistan is unpopular in most nations and that most publics want American and NATO troops out of Afghanistan. The 2009 global survey reported that majorities or pluralities in 18 out of 25 countries want NATO to remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible. (Changes from 2008 included Tanzania, South Africa, and Australia having been replaced by Israel, Kenya, the Palestinian Territories, and Canada in the survey, and shifts in opinions in India and Nigeria.) In 4 out of 25 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – the U.S. (57%), Israel (59%), Kenya (56%), and Nigeria (52%). Despite American calls for NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in every one of the NATO countries surveyed: Germany (63% opposition), France (62%), Poland (57%), Canada (55%), Britain (51%), Spain (50%), and Turkey (49%).

In Europe, polls in France, Germany, Britain, and other countries show that the European public want their troops to be pulled out and less money spent on the war in Afghanistan.

2011

October

• Germany: 68% think the German military should never have been allowed to deploy, while 23% think the military deployment is still appropriate. 70% no longer believe in the success of the military mission. 50% think they should leave when they have 'suitably concluded' their mission, and 44% want an immediate withdrawal of German troops. 78% feel they have been misinformed by their government, and 12% thought that the government had provided them a clear picture of the situation.
• United Kingdom: 57% want all of their soldiers brought home immediately. 71% think the war is unwinnable, an increase of 11% from June, and 60% said the war was not worth the deaths of British soldiers. 62% disagree that having British military forces makes Britain a safer place and 58% say their country's military intervention actually increases the likelihood of a terrorist attack at home.
• United States: 57% think their military should not be there while one in three believe fighting there is the right thing for the U.S. to do. 69% say that the war has lasted longer than expected, and 62% want the number of their troops to be decreased immediately. 24% want the number to remain unchanged, and 7% want to send more troops. 50% say the war has not been a success, while 39% think it has. 47% think the decade-long war has made the U.S. safer from terrorism. Half do not think the war has made their country any safer: 40% think it has had no effect, while 10% think it has in fact made the U.S. less safe. 52% do not think there will be any more violence after U.S. troops leave than there is now, while 28% think there will be. The CBS News poll was conducted September 28 to October 2, 2011.

September

• United States: 52% think that, considering the costs versus the benefits to the United States, the war has not been worth fighting, while 41% think it has. The poll also found that 53% of U.S. military veterans think the war has not been worth fighting, while 42% think it has.

August

• Canada: 75% think that the war has not been worth its financial cost. 60% do not believe that the "war on terror" is something that can be won. 37% believe that the U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya have made Canada more safe and 35% believe that Canadian military actions in Afghanistan and Libya have made Canada more safe. 6 in 10 are more concerned about a terrorist attack in their country now than they were before September 11, 2001. The Ipsos Reid poll was conducted August 26–30, 2011.
• France: 76% oppose their country's military involvement, with 41% opposed and 35% very strongly opposed. 75% want their government to bring home their troops before the currently-promised end-date of 2014. A plurality of 44% want their troops withdrawn by the end of the year, another 31% want them withdrawn by 2012 or 2013, while 25% want to wait until 2014. The IFOP/l'Humanité poll was conducted August 17–19, 2011, and showed the highest level of opposition recorded by the poll over the years, continuing a steady growth in opposition to the war.
• United States: 73% want their country to withdraw troops. A plurality 44% want their country to withdraw "all troops completely", and another 29% want the number of American troopsto be decreased. 15% want the number of troops to remain unchanged, and 8% want even more troops to be sent. 57% think the initial decision to enter Afghanistan was the right one ten years ago, while 38% think it was a mistake. 71% think the U.S. has since over-invested resources in its responses to 9/11 over the past decade, and 59% think this over-investment has contributed to the country's current economic woes. 66% think U.S. power and influence in the world has decreased compared to a decade ago, while 12% thought it had increased. 61% believe that heavy-handedness in trying to destroy terrorists "just breeds more hostility and more terrorists," and that it is necessary to address the causes of the hostility in the larger society. 69% think that their country needs to work more closely with other countries.
• United States: 75% do not think the war has lessened the risk of terrorism in their country, and 25% thought it had. A plurality of 37% think the war has in fact increased the likelihood of terrorist attacks in the U.S.
• United States: 77% think that leaving U.S. troops another three years until the end of 2014 does not make the U.S. any safer than pulling them out sooner: 65% see no difference to the safety of the U.S. and 12% think that keeping the troops makes the U.S. less safe. 19% thought that keeping U.S. troops until the end of 2014 makes the U.S. more safe. 61% think that their government uses military force in other countries too often.

July

• Canada: 58% think their country's military involvement is not worth it, while 30% thought it was.
• New Zealand: 63% want their country's SAS soldiers brought home in March as scheduled, while 23% think they should stay longer.

June

• Australia: 72% want their troops withdrawn. The Yahoo7 poll was conducted in June 2011.
• Australia: 62% want all of their country's troops brought home within six months, by Christmas 2011 at the latest. 19% want their troops pulled immediately, and the plurality 43% want their troops home by Christmas. 35% agreed with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott that soldiers should stay "as long as necessary". The Herald Sun / Galaxy poll was conducted June 1–2, 2011.
• United States: 58% oppose their country's military involvement, and 79% support the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2014, starting with 10,000 in 2011 and another 20,000 by the end of summer 2012. 59% want the withdrawal of their troops to take place even more quickly than was announced, calling for even more than one-third of the 100,000 U.S. troops to be withdrawn by the summer of 2012, within a year or so. Altogether, 85% want at least one-third of the 100,000 U.S. troops to be withdrawn within a year, by the end of summer 2012. 17% disapproved of the withdrawal plan, and 35% thought the U.S. was doing "the right thing". 71% do not think the withdrawal will increase the threat of terrorism against the U.S.: 65% think it will remain the same and 6% think it will decrease, while 26% think it will increase.
• United States: 72% favor the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2014 – starting with 10,000 U.S. troops in 2011 and another 20,000 by the end of summer 2012 – while 23% opposed the withdrawal. 33% want their country to withdraw its troops sooner than that, 30% agree with the announced timetable, and 31% think no timetable should be set.
• United States: 73% think the announced schedule of withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 is "about right" (44%) or "not quickly enough" (29%), while 14% think it is "too quickly".
• United States: 56% want their country's troops brought home "as soon as possible", while 39% think they should be kept "until the situation has stabilized". 56% think it is unlikely that Afghanistan will be able to maintain a stable government after most U.S. forces leave that country, while 38% think it is likely.
• United States: 64% want the number of U.S. troops to be decreased, and 51% think their country should not be engaging in war. 22% said the number of troops should remain as it is, and 8% said it should be increased.
• United States: 62% oppose the war, while 36% support it – the highest level of opposition, and lowest level of support, recorded by the CNN poll which was first asked in 2006. 74% want some or all of their troops to be withdrawn now. The plurality 39% want all their troops withdrawn now, and 35% want some of their troops withdrawn now. The CNN / Opinion Research poll was conducted June 3–7, 2011.
• United States: 73% want their country to withdraw a substantial number of troops this summer, while 23% think it should not. 54% do not think the war has been worth fighting, while 43% think it has. The plurality 48% think the targeted killing of Osama bin Laden has not changed the level of threat posed by al Qaeda, 27% think it has increased it, and 24% think it has decreased it.

German Marshall Fund Transatlantic Trends survey, 2011

The German Marshall Fund of the United States – Transatlantic Trends 2011 survey conducted May 26 – June 20, 2011, had the following results:

• Bulgaria: 63% want to withdraw all or some of their troops: the plurality 38% want all of their troops withdrawn, and another 25% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. Less than one in three, 31%, support maintaining the current number of troops, and 1% would support sending more troops.
• France: 64% want to withdraw all or some of their troops. A plurality 44% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 20% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 34% support maintaining the current number of troops, and 2% would support sending more troops.
• Germany: 70% want to withdraw all or some of their troops. 51% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 19% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 25% support maintaining the current number of troops and 4% would support sending more troops.
• Italy: 65% want to withdraw all or some of their troops: the plurality 39% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 26% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 31% support maintaining the current number of troops, and 2% would support sending more troops.
• Netherlands: 55% want the U.S. to withdraw all or some of their troops. 24% want all U.S. troops withdrawn, and 31% want some U.S. troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 35% support maintaining the current number of U.S. troops, and 5% would support sending more U.S. troops.
• Poland: 73% want to withdraw all or some of their troops. 56% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 17% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 21% support maintaining the current number of troops and 2% would support sending more troops.
• Portugal: 58% want to withdraw all or some of their troops. 37% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 21% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 39% support maintaining the current number of troops and 3% would support sending more troops.
• Romania: 67% want to withdraw all or some of their troops: the plurality 42% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 25% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 27% support maintaining the current number of troops and 2% would support sending more troops.
• Slovakia: 64% want to withdraw all or some of their troops: the plurality 33% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 31% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 29% support maintaining the current number of troops and 2% would support sending more troops.
• Spain: 57% want to withdraw all or some of their troops: 37% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 20% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 39% support maintaining the current number of troops, and 3% would support sending more troops..
• Sweden: 48% support maintaining the current number of their troops. 45% want to withdraw all or some of their troops. 23% want all of their troops withdrawn and 22% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 6% would support sending more troops.
• Turkey: The plurality 43% want to withdraw all or some of their troops. 26% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 17% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 34% support maintaining the current number of troops and 12% would support sending more troops.
• United Kingdom: 69% want to withdraw all or some of their troops. A plurality 43% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 26% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 25% support maintaining the current number of troops and 3% would support sending more troops
• United States: 66% want to withdraw all or some of their troops: the plurality 35% want all of their troops withdrawn, and 31% want some of their troops withdrawn to reduce the number. 25% support maintaining the current number of troops and 6% would support sending more troops.

May

• France: 55% want their country's troops to be withdrawn, while 43% think they should stay.
• United States: 59% oppose the war, with the plurality 32% "strongly" opposing it. 37% favor the war, the lowest level of support for the war recorded by the poll. 80% approve of President Barack Obama's decision to end all U.S. combat operations by 2014 and to begin the withdrawal of troops in July, with the plurality 52% "strongly" approving the ending of combat operations. 15% disapproved, with 8% "strongly" disapproving. 83% think the announced pace of withdrawal is either about right or too slow, while 15% think it is too fast.
• United States: 59% believe it is time to end the war and leave. One week after the killing of Osama bin Laden, three-in-five think the war should be ended and their troops brought home. One-third think their country should continue to maintain American military forces.
• United States: 52% oppose the war, while 42% support it. 64% want some or all of their troops to be withdrawn now: 34% want some troops withdrawn now, and 30% want all American troops withdrawn now. The CNN / Opinion Research poll was conducted May 2, 2011.

April

• Australia: 59% oppose their country's military involvement.

Pew Global Attitudes survey, April 2011

A Pew Global Attitudes survey conducted March 21 – April 12, 2011, had the following results:

• Egypt: 78% think NATO troops should be removed "as soon as possible", while 11% support their presence until the situation has "stabilized".
• Indonesia: 71% think NATO troops should be removed "as soon as possible", while 12% support their presence until the situation has "stabilized".
• Israel: 58% think NATO troops should be kept "until the situation has stabilized", while 28% think they should be removed "as soon as possible".
• Jordan: 87% think NATO troops should be removed "as soon as possible", while 9% support their presence until the situation has "stabilized".
• Lebanon: 71% think NATO troops should be removed "as soon as possible", while 22% support their presence until the situation has "stabilized".
• Pakistan: 68% think NATO troops should be removed "as soon as possible", while 6% support their presence until the situation has "stabilized".
• Turkey: 75% want NATO troops removed "as soon as possible", while 6% support their presence until the situation has "stabilized".

March

• United States: Nearly three-quarters want President Obama to withdraw a "substanstial number" of troops this summer – 73% want a substantial number of troops pulled, while 21% do not. 39% actually expect him to do so, but 53% do not think he will. 64% think the war is not worth fighting, while 31% think it is. A plurality of 49% "strongly" think the war is not worth fighting, while 17% strongly think it is.

February

• Canada: 63% oppose the war, while 32% support it.
• France: 72% oppose the war, while 28% support it.
• United Kingdom: 60% oppose the war, while 31% support it.
• United States: In a statistical tie, 47% support the war while an equal number, 46%, oppose the war.
• United States: 54% think their country is wrong to be fighting the war and should not be there, while 37% support the war.
• United States: 50% oppose the war and 50% support it. Among Democrat voters, 54% oppose the war while 46% support it. Among Republican voters, 65% of Republican voters favor the war, while 35% oppose it.

January

• Netherlands: 70% oppose the new military training mission their government proposing, and 25% would support it – a significant increase of opposition from another Maurice de Hond poll that was reported earlier. The poll, reported on January 10, 2011, found that not one of the major political parties had majority support for the proposed extension. Half of the ruling VVD party's voters oppose the proposal, and for the other ruling party, Christian Democratic Appeal, 53% of CDA voters now against the proposed mission.
• Netherlands: 58% oppose the new military training mission their government is proposing, while 34% would support it. The Maurice de Hond poll that was reported on January 6, 2011 showed that the majorities of voters for the Labour, Socialist, GroenLinks, Liberal VVD and PVV parties are all opposed to the latest proposed extension, while supporters of one party, the Christian Democrats, support it.
• United States: 58% oppose the war, while 40% support it. The 71% of Democrat voters and 59% of independent voters oppose the war, while 58% of Republican voters favor the war.
• United States: 72% want the withdrawal of U.S. troops to be accelerated, while 25% disagree. A plurality of 41% "strongly" favor speeding up the withdrawal, while 6% "strongly" oppose doing so. Across the political spectrum 86% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 61% of Republicans want the government to speed up the withdrawal.
• United States: 66% of self-identified conservative voters and Tea Party supporters call for either a reduction of U.S. troop levels (the 39% plurality) or a complete withdrawal "as soon as possible" (27%). 24% think that the current levels of troops should be maintained. 71% of conservative voters, including over two-thirds of Tea Party supporters, are worried that the war's cost to American taxpayers – $120 billion spent on the war in 2010 – will make it more difficult to reduce the U.S. deficit next year and balance the U.S. federal budget in the next decade.

2010

December

• United Kingdom: 57% oppose their country's military involvement, while 34% support it. 57% believe it was a mistake to have sent military forces. 63% see a role for the Taliban in the Afghan government as the most likely outcome of the war: 33% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government, 19% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a significant role in the Afghan government, and 11% expect the Taliban will defeat the foreign military forces. 8% believe forces will have a clear victory over the Taliban. 52% think their government has provided too little information about the war, while 31% think it has provided the right amount. The level of "strong opposition" to the war outranked "strong support" by a 3-to-1 margin. The Angus Reid poll was conducted December 7–9, 2010.
• United States: Opposition by the American public to the war reached an all-time high in polling by ABC News and the Washington Post. A record 60% say the war has not been worth fighting, while 34% say it has, a new record low. A plurality of 43%, "strongly" feel the war has not been worth fighting, while 16% "strongly" feel it has, a new record low. 81% want the withdrawal of American military forces to begin within a few months – either in the summer of 2011 as pledged by President Obama, or even sooner than that: 54% want the withdrawal to begin in the summer as pledged, while an additional 27% want the withdrawal to begin even before the summer. 12% think the withdrawal should begin later. The ABC News / Washington Post poll was conducted December 9–12, 2010.
• United States: 63% oppose the war, a new all time-high in polling by CNN / Opinion Research, while 35% support it, a new all-time low in support. 56% think things are going badly for the U.S. in the war. In the continued partisan divide, three-quarters of Democrat voters oppose the war, as do more than six in ten independent voters, while 52% of Republicans, and 52% of Tea Party supporters, support continuation of the war. The CNN / Opinion Research poll was conducted December 17–19, 2010.
• United States: Americans continue to be divided over the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, with 45% supporting and 45% opposing it. The plurality 49% say the U.S. government has been providing them too little information about the war, and 54% say they do not know what their country's war is all about. The plurality 38% expect the war to eventually come to a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a role in the Afghan government, while 16% expect a clear military victory by foreign military forces. The Angus Reid poll was conducted December 3–5, 2010.

October

• Canada: 55% oppose their country's involvement in the war, while 35% support it. A plurality of 34% have "strong opposition" to involvement in the war, three times higher than the number in "strong support", standing at 11%. The Angus Reid poll was conducted October 13–14, 2010.
• Sweden: The plurality 47% want their country to bring its troops home, while 36% think they should stay there. The Sifo poll for Aftonbladet was conducted October 18, 2010.
• United Kingdom: 60% oppose their country's military involvement, while 32% support it. 60% think it was a mistake for their country to have sent military forces, while one-in-four thought it was not. 62% see a role for the Taliban in the Afghan government as the most likely outcome of the war: 31% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government, 20% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a significant role in the Afghan government, and 11% expect the Taliban will defeat the foreign military forces. 8% believe forces will have a clear victory over the Taliban. 49% think their government has provided too little information about the war, while 30% think it has provided the right amount. The level of "strong opposition" to the war outranked "strong support" by a 4-to-1 margin. The Angus Reid poll was conducted October 13–14, 2010.
• United States: Americans are divided over the war in Afghanistan with 47% supporting and 45% opposing, a statistical tie within the poll's ±3% margin of error. Likewise, 37% think the war was a mistake, and 37% thought it was not. 51% say they do not know what the nine-year war is about, 49% say they do. 19% expect a clear military victory for the forces, while 46% expect the Taliban to have some kind of role in the Afghan government as an outcome of the war: the plurality 28% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a small role in government, 12% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a significant role, and 6% expect the Taliban will defeat the foreign military forces in Afghanistan. The Angus Reid poll was conducted October 15–17, 2010.
• United States: 6 in 10 believe the war is now a lost cause, up from 55% in July. 31% think the U.S. can win the war. The Bloomberg National Poll was conducted October 7–10, 2010.
• United States: 58% oppose the war, while 37% favor it, the lowest level of support measured by the poll. 52% think the war has turned into a situation like the Vietnam War, while 39% think it has not. The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted October 5–7, 2010.

September

• United States: 58% oppose the war, while 39% favor it. The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted September 21–23, 2010.
• United States: 57% oppose the war, while 41% favor it. The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted September 1–2, 2010.
• United States: 54% think the U.S. should not be involved, while 38% think it should. 55% think things are going badly for the U.S., while 38% believe things are going well. The New York Times / CBS News poll was conducted September 10–14, 2010. The poll results represented the highest level of opposition to the war, and lowest level of support, measured by the poll in the 5 times the question was asked beginning one year ago.

August

• Canada: Almost 80% want the mission to end next year. One in four think the mission should be extended. 57% want the troops brought home after pulling out in 2011. 30% would support letting some Canadian troops remain in a training capacity only, and 12% want the troops to otherwise stay. The Ipsos Reid poll was conducted July 30 – August 4, 2010.
• Canada: The majority reject their country's military participation. 53% oppose the military operation, while 39% support it. The Angus Reid poll was conducted August 5–6, 2010.
• Norway: Half want their government to pull their troops out. A plurality of 49% want the withdrawal of their troops, while 36% thought the soldiers should stay there. The InFact poll was conducted at the beginning of August 2010.
• United States: A plurality of 48% oppose U.S. involvement, while 43% think their country should be involved. The majority of Republicans think the U.S. should be involved, while the majority of Democrats think their country should not be involved. 52% of Americans think things are going badly for the U.S., while 37% believe things are going well. The CBS News poll was conducted August 20–24, 2010.
• United States: 58% oppose the expanded war, 38% supported it, the lowest level of support since the poll has been conducted. A plurality of 35% "strongly oppose" the war, while 17% "strongly favor" it. The AP-GfK poll was conducted August 11–16, 2010.
• United States: 62% oppose the war, the highest level since the poll question was asked in 2006, while 37% favored the war, an all-time low. The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted August 6–10, 2010.
• United States: Americans are divided over the war. In a statistical tie within the poll's ±3% margin of error, 47% support the war, while 42% oppose it. The Angus Reid poll was conducted August 4–5, 2010.
• United States: 57% want a time-table to be set for removing troops and to stick to that time-table no matter what. 38% think American military forces should be kept in that country until the situation "gets better". 62% think things are going badly for the U.S., while 34% think they are going well. The USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted July 27 – August 1, 2010.

July

• France: 70% oppose their country's military involvement, while 29% support it. The Ifop-Humanité poll was conducted July 8, 2010.
• United States: 58% want their troops withdrawn from the war within the next one or two years. 35% are willing to have U.S. troops stay longer than two years from now. 33% think large numbers of U.S. troops should be withdrawn in less than a year, another 23% think that should be done within one or two years, and 2% want an immediate withdrawal. 54% want a timetable to be set for withdrawal, while 41% do not. 26% think U.S. troops should remain for as long as it takes. 62% think the war is going badly for the United States, up from 49% in May, while 31% believe it is going well. The CBS News poll was conducted July 9–12, 2010.
• United States: Support for the war hit a new low. 76% want to start withdrawing troops by next summer or sooner: 45% call Obama's plan to start withdrawing troops by next summer "about right", and an additional 31% call for the withdrawal to start even sooner. 18% think the withdrawal should start later. 53% think the war has not been worth fighting, with a plurality a 38% "strongly" feeling so. 43% think the war has been worth fighting, down sharply since the end of the previous year, and the lowest since the question was asked in February 2007. A plurality of 44% think the war has not contributed to their country's long-term security, 28% thought it had "somewhat", and 25% thought it had a "great deal". The ABC News / Washington Post poll was conducted July 7–11, 2010.

June

• Australia: 60% want their troops withdrawn from the war, while one in four think they should stay at their current level. Both the 61% of Labor supporters and 55% of Coalition supporters want their troops to be withdrawn.
• Canada: 59% oppose their country's military involvement, up from 56% in April, and the highest level of opposition registered yet for the question used. Support fell to 37% from 39% in April. "Strong opposition" to Canada's involvement in the war, held by the plurality of Canadians, increased to 33%, while "strong support" dropped down to 13%. 48% believe it was a mistake to send military forces, while 34% thought it was not. A plurality of 30% think the war will eventually end in a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government, 13% see the Taliban having a significant role in the Afghan government, 16% think forces will be militarily defeated, while 6% continue to expect a clear military victory. 57% also think that their government has not been providing enough information on the war. The Angus Reid poll was conducted June 11–12, 2010.
• United Kingdom: 55% oppose their country's military involvement, while 38% support it. 56% also believe their country erred in sending military forces. Asked about the eventual outcome of the war, the plurality 34% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government, 15% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a significant role in the Afghan government, 11% expect a clear victory by the military forces, and 10% expect their defeat. The Angus Reid poll was conducted June 4–7, 2010.
• United States: 12% think the United States is winning the war, and 70% think the United States will eventually withdraw without winning. A plurality of 48% favor decreasing the number of U.S. troops; 70% expect that at the end of 2012, the United States will have the same number of troops there as now (43%) or more (27%). 14% think that most Afghans want U.S. troops to stay in their country. A plurality of 38% think most Afghans want the U.S. troops to leave their country, and another 34% think Afghans are about equally divided about wanting U.S. troops to stay in or leave their country. 52% favor keeping the same number of troops (22%) or increasing the number of troops(30%) in Afghanistan. The plurality 45% think former President George W. Bush bears "most" of the responsibility for the current situation, and a plurality of 34% think President Obama also bears "some" of the responsibility. The poll.
• United States: 65% favor President Barack Obama's timetable calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops beginning in July 2011 (58%) or even earlier (7%). 30% feel there should not be a timetable at all (29%) or that the withdrawal should begin later (1%). The Gallup poll for USA Today was conducted June 25–26, 2010.
• United States: 53% think the war has not been worth fighting, and the plurality 41% "strongly" think that it has not been worth fighting. 44% think that the war being carried out has been worth fighting, with 26% that feel that way strongly. 62% of Republicans has been worth its costs to the U.S., 66% of Democrats and 53% of independents think it has not been worth fighting. 54% of Democrats "strongly" think that the war has not been worth fighting. The ABC News / Washington Post poll was conducted June 3–6, 2010.
• United States: 50% support their country's military activities, while 43% oppose them. 50% also acknowledge that they do not have a clear idea of what their country's military activity is all about. 40% think their country did the right thing in sending their military force, 32% feel it was a mistake. The Angus Reid online poll was conducted June 8–9, 2010.

German Marshall Fund Transatlantic Trends survey 2010

The Transatlantic Trends survey by the German Marshall Fund of the United States was conducted over the month of June had the following results:

• France: 75% want their country to begin withdrawing troops starting either immediately (36%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (39%). 23% think that it is too early to set a timetable and that their military should stay as long as it takes. 57% want either all of their troops withdrawn (the 40% plurality), or the number reduced (17%). 37% support keeping the number at current levels, while 4% support an increase.
• Germany: 79% want their country to begin withdrawing troops starting either immediately (35%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (44%). 20% think that it is too early to set a timetable and that their military should stay as long as it takes. 67% want either all of their troops withdrawn (the 50% plurality), or the number reduced (17%). 24% support keeping the number at current levels, and 7% support a troop increase.
• Italy: 79% want their country to begin withdrawing troops starting either immediately (35%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (44%). 20% think that it is too early to set a timetable and that their military should stay as long as it takes. 59% want either all of their troops withdrawn (the 35% plurality), or the number reduced (24%). 34% support keeping the number at current levels, and 4% support a troop increase.
• Netherlands: 79% want their country to begin withdrawing troops starting either immediately (35%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (44%). 20% think that it is too early to set a timetable and that their military should stay as long as it takes. 64% want either all of their troops withdrawn (the 46% plurality), or the number reduced (18%). 31% support keeping the number at current levels, and 4% support a troop increase.
• United Kingdom: 73% want their country to begin withdrawing troops starting either immediately (33%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (40%). 26% think that it is too early to set a timetable and that their military should stay as long as it takes. 65% want either all of their troops withdrawn (the 40% plurality), or the number reduced (25%). 27% support keeping the number at current levels, and 7% support a troop increase.
• United States: 54% want their country to begin withdrawing troops starting either immediately (21%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (33%). 45% think that it is too early to set a timetable and that the American military should stay as long as it takes. The poll also found that 58% want the number of U.S. troops to be either kept the same (33%) or increased (25%), while 41% want either the number of U.S. troops to be either reduced (22%) or all U.S. troops to be withdrawn (19%).

Pew Global Attitudes poll 2010

A Pew Global Attitudes poll released June 17, 2010, had the following results:

• Argentina: 74% want military forces removed "as soon as possible". 6% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Brazil: A plurality of 46% want the military forces removed "as soon as possible", while 37% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• China: 54% think the military forces should be removed "as soon as possible", while 18% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Egypt: 81% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", 15% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• France: 52% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible". 47% think the military forces should stay until the situation stabilizes.
• Germany: 58% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", while 40% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• India: 42% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes, while 35% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible".
• Indonesia: 62% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", while 19% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Japan: 53% want the military forces removed "as soon as possible", 35% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Jordan: 81% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible". 13% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Kenya: 57% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes, 25% want the military forces removed as soon as possible.
• Lebanon: 69% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", while 21% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Mexico: 61% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", 18% believe military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Nigeria: 44% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes, 41% want the military forces removed as soon as possible.
• Pakistan: 65% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", while 7% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Poland: 44% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", while 42% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• Russia: 53% think the military forces should be removed "as soon as possible", while 24% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• South Korea: 49% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes, while 38% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible".
• Spain: 49% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", while 43% think the military forces should stay until the situation stabilizes.
• Turkey: 67% want the military forces to be removed "as soon as possible", while 11% believe the military presence should continue until the situation stabilizes.
• United Kingdom: 49% think the forces should stay until the situation stabilizes, 45% want their troops to be withdrawn "as soon as possible".
• United States: 48% think the forces should stay until the situation stabilizes, 45% want their troops to be withdrawn "as soon as possible".

May

• Australia: 54% want their country to not "continue to be involved militarily in Afghanistan, up from 51% in 2009, while 43% thought it should, down 3% from 2009. 55% said they were not confident that their country's aims were clear, and 26% thought the war was "the greatest threat to Australia's security at the moment". The annual poll reflected the third year in a row with majority Australian opposition to their country's military involvement in Afghanistan. (In 2007, the poll found Australians divided on the issue, with 46% opposed and 46% in support.) The 2010 Lowy Institute Poll released May 31, 2010 was conducted in March 2010.
• New Zealand: 77% want a total or partial withdrawal of their country's troops. The plurality 40% call for a total withdrawal of their military forces, 37% call for a partial withdrawal. 10% wanted all troops to stay. The Research New Zealand poll was conducted May 18–25, 2010.
• United States: 56% oppose the war, while 42% support it. The CNN / Opinion Research poll was conducted May 21–23, 2010.

April

• Germany: 62% want their troops to be brought home. The Stern-Forsa poll was conducted April 8–9, 2010.
• United Kingdom: 77% call for the withdrawal of their country's military forces, and an end to British combat operations there, within a year. Less than one in seven disagree. The numbers reiterated the findings from six months before in November 2009 when 71% called for the withdrawal of their troops within a year, and when almost half called for an immediate withdrawal. 51% think that the continued presence of British troops increases, rather than diminishes, the risk of terrorism in the United Kingdom. The IoS/ComRes poll was conducted April 16–17, 2010.
• United Kingdom: 59% oppose their country's military involvement, and 32% support the operation. 60% also believe their country erred in sending military forces. Asked about the eventual outcome of the war, the plurality 32% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a small role in the Afghan government, 16% expect a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban a significant role in the Afghan government, 12% expect a clear victory by the military forces, and 9% expect their defeat. The Angus Reid poll was conducted April 9–12, 2010.
• United States: 52% think the war has not been worth fighting, while 44% think it has. 38% "strongly" think that the war has not been fighting, while 26% "strongly" think it has. 69% of Republicans think the war has been worth its costs to the U.S., while 6% of Democrats and 56% of independents think it has not been worth fighting. 50% of Democrats "strongly" think that the war has not been worth fighting. The ABC News / Washington Post poll was conducted April 22–25, 2010.
• United States: Half of Americans support their country's military activities, while 39% oppose them. The Angus Reid online poll was conducted April 14–15, 2010.

March

• Canada: 79% oppose their troops staying in a combat mission beyond the end of next year, rejecting the U.S. request for Canada to reconsider its decision to withdraw its troops in 2011. 16%, would support such an extension. 80% think the violence will be same (50%) or worse (30%) at the end of 2011, while 6% think there will be a decrease in the violence. The Angus Reid poll was conducted March 30–31, 2010.

February

• Canada: 49% oppose the military operation, while 47% support it. 53% think their government provides too little information about the war in Afghanistan, while 29% think it has provided the right amount of information. The Angus Reid poll was conducted February 16–17, 2010.
• Canada: 80% want their military to leave as scheduled in 2011. The Harris-Decima poll was conducted February 1–10, 2010.
• Netherlands: 66% think Deputy Prime Minister and Labour leader Wouter Bos is correct in opposing another extension and insisting on the withdrawal of Dutch troops by the end of year, as scheduled and as had been promised. A plurality of 49% want their troops withdrawn and the mission completely ended, while 38% supported looking at other options. The Synovate poll for NRC was conducted February 17–18, 2010.
• Netherlands: According to a monthly poll by the Dutch ministry of defence, 33% support the Dutch military participation, while 36% oppose it.
• Netherlands: 58% want their troops to be withdrawn, while 35% support keeping them there.
• United Kingdom: 63% want their next government to commit to removing their country's armed forces by the end of this year. 64% also think the war is unwinnable. The Newsnight / ComRes poll was conducted February 19–21, 2010.
• United Kingdom: 52% oppose the war, and 55% believe their country made a mistake in sending military forces. 55% also state they have a clear idea of what the war is about. 47% feel that the British government has not been giving them sufficient information about the war. 29% think the government has provided the correct amount of information. The Angus Reid poll was conducted February 16–17, 2010.
• United States: 54% support the U.S. military operations, while 38% oppose the war. Just under half, 48%, think the U.S. did the right thing in sending its military forces. 33% thought it was a mistake, and 19% were not sure. The Angus Reid poll was conducted February 16–17, 2010.

January

• Czech Republic: 54% oppose sending any more of their country's troops as their government has proposed. The SANEP poll was conducted January 5–21, 2010.
• Denmark: Support for military involvement slipped below 50%. A plurality 49% support the military operation, while 41% want their troops to be withdrawn, and 10% are undecided. The Jyllans-Posten / Ramboell Analyse poll was conducted January 11–14, 2010.
• France: 56% want their country's troops to leave, while 41% disagree. 85% think the situation is deteriorating, while 13% believe it is improving. The BVA/Canal+ poll was conducted January 26–27, 2010.
• France: 80% oppose sending any more of their country's troops, while 20% support doing so. The Ifop-Humanité poll was conducted January 20–22, 2010.
• Germany: 65% oppose sending more of their country's soldiers, while 29% support it. 76% think the military effort will fail, while 18% think it will succeed. The Politbarometer/Mannheim poll for public broadcaster ZDF was conducted January 26–28, 2010.
• Germany: 80% oppose sending any more German troops. The Forsa Institute poll was conducted January 20–21, 2010. 70% demand a withdrawal by 2015: The plurality 32% call for an immediate withdrawal, another 24% call for a withdrawal by the end of 2011, 14% want a deadline of 2015. 25% said they should remain longer.
• Germany: 71% want their country's troops withdrawn "as soon as possible", and 27% support the military involvement. 83% oppose their government sending any more troops. The ARD/Infratest poll was conducted January 4–5, 2010.
• Netherlands: 49% support their country's military role, while nearly as many, 45%, do not. The margin of error of the poll was not reported. The Maurice de Hond poll was conducted January 30, 2010.
• United Kingdom: 59% oppose sending any more of their country's troops, while 41% support doing so. The Ifop-Humanité poll was conducted January 8–12, 2010.
• United States: 52% oppose the war, while 47% support it, a statistical tie within the poll's margin of error of ±3 points. The remaining 1% had no opinion. The CNN / Opinion Research poll was conducted January 22–24, 2010.
• United States: 54% oppose the war, while 43% support it. A plurality of 32% "strongly oppose" the war, while 18% "strongly favor" it. The remaining 3% did not know. 55% oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 41% would support doing so. The plurality 34% "strongly oppose" sending any more troops, while 17% "strongly favor" doing so. The AP/GfK poll was conducted January 12–17, 2010.

2009

December

• Canada: 66% oppose sending any more troops despite the recently reported plans by the United States and Britain to do so. 28% would support sending any more troops. 53% also continue to oppose their country's involvement in military operations, while 42% support it. The Angus Reid poll was conducted December 1–2, 2009.
• France: 82% are opposed to their government sending more troops, while 17% support doing so. The Ifop / Sud-Ouest Dimanche poll was conducted December 3–4, 2009.
• Germany: 69% want a full withdrawal of German troops, while 27% disagreed.
• Poland: 76% want a withdrawal of their country's military, with many seeing little hope for a successful conclusion. The public opinion poll was conducted in December 2009.
• Spain: Nearly half oppose their government's decision to send another 500 more troops. A plurality of 48% consider their government's decision to be "bad" or "very bad", while 22% considered it to be "good" or "very good". Another 26% consider the decision "normal" among the choice of responses available to them in the poll. The El Mundo poll was conducted December 23–29, 2009.
• United States: 55% oppose the war, while 43% support it. A remaining 3% had no opinion. The CNN – Opinion Research poll was conducted December 16–20, 2009.
• United States: 58% feel less confident that the war will come to a successful conclusion, while 30% feel more confident. 56% think it is unlikely that U.S. troops will begin to withdraw in 18 months – as announced by the U.S. president – while 39% think it is likely. In a statistical tie within the poll's ±3% margin of error, 55% support increasing troops levels, while 49% oppose sending more troops. Also in a statistical tie within the poll's ±3% margin of error, 44% think the U.S. president's plan is the right approach, while 41% think it is the wrong approach. The NBC / Wall Street Journal poll was conducted December 11–14, 2009.
• United States: 56% continue to oppose sending more U.S. troops, while 42% favor it, compared to 54% opposition and 43% support in November. 57% oppose the war, while 39% support it, unchanged from November. The AP-GfK poll was conducted December 10–14, 2009.
• United Kingdom: 56% remain opposed to their country's involvement, while 36% support it. 56% also oppose their prime minister's plan to send an additional 500 British soldiers in the next few weeks, while 35% support it. The Angus Reid poll was conducted December 2–4, 2009.
• United States: 51% oppose the war, while 46% support it, a statistical tie within the poll's margin of error of ±3 points. A remaining 2% had no opinion. The CNN – Opinion Research poll was conducted December 2–3, 2009.
• United States: Americans are split on sending 30,000 more troops, the figure that was just announced by U.S. President Obama: 36% think the number is too high, 38% think number is about right, while 18% think it is too low. 47% agree with setting a timetable to begin withdrawing some troops, while 46% think it is too soon to set one. 21% agree with the announced timetable to begin withdrawing some troops in 2011, while 26% think the U.S. "should start withdrawing troops sooner" than that. 69% of Democrats agree with setting a timetable for beginning to withdraw some troops, with 27% agreeing with the announced timetable of 2011 and 35% wanting a withdrawal of troops to begin before 2011 arrives. 72% of Republicans think it is too soon to set a timetable. 43% of Democrats think the number of new troops being sent to Afghanistan is too high, while 35% of Republicans feel it is too low. The USA Today / Gallup poll was conducted December 2, 2009 just after U.S. President Obama announced that 30,000 more U.S. troops would be sent to Afghanistan while setting a timetable that calls for the U.S. to begin withdrawing some unspecified number of troops in 2011.
• United States: 49% support the U.S. military operation, down 5 points from October, while 42% oppose it, up 7 points from October. 47% support President Obama's plan, while 40% oppose it. 22% think a clear U.S. military victory is likely, while 37% think a negotiated settlement that gives the Taliban some role in the Afghan government is likely. 56% are not confident that the Obama administration will be able to "finish the job", while 31% are. The Angus Reid poll was conducted December 1–2, 2009 just after U.S. President Obama announced that 30,000 more U.S. troops would be sent to Afghanistan.

November

• Denmark: Nearly half want a deadline for withdrawing their soldiers. A plurality of 49% want a deadline for the withdrawal of their country's troops, while 37% do not. 47% support the operation, while 39% oppose it, and 14% did not answer or were undecided. The Catinet / Ritzau poll was conducted November 7–9, 2009.
• Germany: 65% oppose their country's military presence and want their troops to be withdrawn before the next federal election in 2013, while 29% disagreed. The Bild am Sontag / Emnid poll was conducted November 27, 2009.
• United Kingdom: 71% want their troops out within a year. Seven out of 10 want a phased withdrawal leading to an end of combat operations with 12 months, while 22% disagreed. 47% say their country's continued military participation makes terrorism more likely at home, while 44% say it does not. The ComRes poll for the Independent was conducted November 11–12, 2009.
• United Kingdom: The majority reject the main justification given to them by the British government to justify its military presence. Four out of five do not believe that British military involvement keeps the streets of Britain safe from terrorist attacks, and 21% accept the government's claim. 46% feel that the British military participation in the war actually increases the threat of attack in Britain. The GFK NOP poll for the Independent was conducted November 7–8, 2009.
• United Kingdom: 63% want "all" their troops to be withdrawn "as quickly as possible". 31% disagreed. 64% also said the war is unwinnable, while 27% disagreed. 52% said the levels of corruption involved in the recent presidential election demonstrated that the war is "not worth fighting for", while 36% disagreed. 54% felt they had a good understanding of the purpose of the military presence, while 42% disagreed. The BBC/ComRes poll was conducted November 4–5, 2009.
• United Kingdom: 73% want their troops to be withdrawn immediately or within the next year or so: 35% want British troops brought home "immediately" and 38% said "most troops should be withdrawn soon, and the rest within the next year or so." 20% thought the UK military force should remain. 85% believe British troops are currently losing the war: 57% believe that military victory is not possible, 28% thought eventual victory was possible, and 5% believed British troops were winning. The Channel 4 News / YouGov poll was conducted November 4–5, 2009.
• United States: 48% oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 47% support sending more troops. A plurality of 39% want to begin to reduce the number of U.S. troops. 67% of Democrats oppose sending any more U.S. troops, and 57% of Democrats want to begin to reduce the number of U.S. troops. 72% of Republicans want to send more U.S. soldiers. The USA Today / Gallup poll was conducted November 20–22, 2009.
• United States: 59% oppose sending any more U.S. troops, with a plurality of 39% want a decrease of the number of U.S. troops and 20% saying the number should remain unchanged. 32% support sending any more U.S. troops. 53% think that a troop increase would not make the situation better, while 36% think that it would. 69% now think that the war is going badly for the United States, an increase from 53% in September and the highest level since the poll question was first asked in 2003. 23% believe that the war is going well for the United States, down 12 points from September and the lowest level since 2003. The change in view occurred in particular among Republicans: In September, 47% of Republicans believed the war was going well for the United States. In November, the figure was 27%. The CBS News poll was conducted November 13–16, 2009.
• United States: 52% oppose the war, while 45% support it. A remaining 3% had no opinion. The CNN – Opinion Research poll was conducted November 13–15, 2009.
• United States: 52% say the war is not worth fighting, a new high in opposition for the poll question first asked in 2007, while 44% say it is worth fighting, a new low in support. 76% do not feel that withdrawing would increase the risk of terrorism in the U.S. while 23% feel that it would. 58% are not confident that the current Afghan government will be able to train an Afghan army that can effectively take over security there "at some point", while 38% are. In politically asymmetrical views, 66% of Democrats say the war is not worth fighting, while, on the other hand, 60% of Republicans say that it is worth fighting. Nearly half of Democrats, 48%, feel strongly that the war in Afghanistan is not worth fighting, while 43% of Republicans feel strongly that it is. The ABC News / Washington Post poll was conducted November 12–15, 2009.
• United States: 57% oppose the war, while 39% favor it. A plurality of 37% "strongly oppose" the war, while 15% "strongly favor" it. 54% oppose sending any more U.S. troops, up from 50% the previous month, while 43% favor doing so, down from 46% the previous month. A plurality of 38% "strongly oppose" sending any more troops. The Associated Press – GfK poll was conducted November 5–9, 2009.
• United States: 51% oppose sending any more U.S. troops. A plurality of 44% want the number of U.S. troops to be reduced, and 7% want the number to be kept unchanged. 7% want an increase of less than 40,000, while 35% support an increase of 40,000 troops. 60% of Democrats want President Obama to begin reducing troop levels. The Gallup poll was conducted November 5–8, 2009.
• United States: 58% oppose the war, while 40% support it. 56% also oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 42% favor doing so. 64% do not think that there will "eventually" be "a stable democratic government in Afghanistan that can maintain order in the country without assistance from U.S. troops." 32% think this will eventually occur. The CNN / Opinion Research poll was conducted October 30 – November 1, 2009.
• United States: 59% oppose sending any more U.S. troops to the war. A plurality of 40% want the number of U.S. troops to be reduced, and 19% want the number of troops to remain unchanged. 32% support a troop increase. 57% think the military effort is not going well, while 36% believe it is. The Pew Research poll was conducted October 28 – November 8, 2009.

October

• Australia: 51% do not want their country to continue to be involved militarily, while 46% do. 52% are not confident that Australia has clear aims in Afghanistan, while 47% were.
• Canada: 56% oppose their country's military involvement, an increase of opposition from 52% in July. 37% support the military involvement, a drop in support from 43% in July. The Angus Reid poll was conducted October 5–10, 2009.
• Japan: The plurality 48% supported their government's decision to end their country's naval refueling mission in support of the military campaign, while 37% opposed it.
• United Kingdom: 62% want their troops to be withdrawn immediately or within the next year or so: 25% want British troops brought home "immediately" and 37% said "most troops should be withdrawn soon, and the rest within the next year or so." 29% thought the UK military force should remain past the next year. 84% believe British troops are currently losing the war. A plurality of 48% believe that military victory is not possible, 36% thought eventual victory was possible, and 6% believed British troops were winning.
• United Kingdom: 68% want their troops withdrawn "now" or "within the next year or so". The plurality 36% want their troops "withdrawn from Afghanistan now", while 32% want a firm timetable set for "withdrawing British troops within the next year or so" that should be adhered to "regardless of the situation in Afghanistan at the time". 27% think British troops should remain until the Taleban is defeated and the situation is stable. The percentage of Britons wanting an immediate withdrawal rose 7 points from 29% to 36% from mid-September. The Populus / Times poll was conducted October 9–11, 2009.
• United Kingdom: 59% oppose their country's military involvement, an increase of opposition from 53% in July. 35% support the military involvement, a drop in support from 39% in July. The Angus Reid poll was conducted October 5–10, 2009.
• United Kingdom: 63% think their troops are "fighting a war that can't be won," while 27% think it is "a war that must be won." 45% disagree that the war is worthwhile "to defeat terrorism," while 44% agree that it is. 44% disagree that troops in Afghanistan make them safer in Britain, while 42% agree that they do.
• United Kingdom: 56% oppose their country's military operations, while 37% support the operations.
• United States: 59% oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 39% support doing so. 49% call for a partial or complete withdrawal of U.S. troops: 28% want their country to withdraw all U.S. troops, 21% want a reduction of U.S. troops, and 8% think the numbers should stay as they are. 52% think the eight year long war has turned into a situation like the Vietnam War, while 46% do not. More than two-thirds say it's unlikely that Afghanistan will have stable government in the next few years. Six in 10 think it's necessary to keep U.S. forces "now" to "prevent additional acts of terrorism in the U.S.", while 39% do not. The CNN – Opinion Research poll was conducted October 16–18, 2009. In this poll, CNN did not ask, or did not publish results for, the question "Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan?" that it had asked in 10 previous polls.
• United States: 49% feel the war is not worth fighting, while 47% do. 49% feel that Obama should not order the additional troops requested by U.S. military commanders, while 47% do. 60% of Democrats oppose sending any more troops, while 69% of Republicans favor sending more troops. 36% of Democrats feel the war is worth fighting, while 71% of Republicans do.
• United States: 54% support their country's military involvement, down slightly from 55% in July. 35% oppose the military involvement, unchanged from July. The Angus Reid poll was conducted October 5–10, 2009.
• United States: 56% say they want the size of the American military presence to stay the same or be reduced. 38% favor drawing down U.S. troop levels, while 37% favor increasing the number, a statistical tie within the poll's margin of error of ±3 points. 17% favor keeping troop levels the same. 52% of Democrats want to decrease the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, while 57% of Republicans want to increase the number of U.S. troops 27% of Democrats support sending more troops. According to the poll, 51% of Americans think the U.S is doing the right thing in fighting the war, while 39% think the U.S. is not doing the right thing: 76% of Republicans think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war, while, on the other hand, the plurality 49% of Democrats think the U.S. should not be involved in Afghanistan.
• United States: 48% support sending more U.S. troops, while 45% oppose sending any more troops, a statistical tie within the poll's margin of error of ±5 points. 38% want President Obama to begin to withdraw U.S. troops. Half, 50%, of Democrats, and 44% of independents, want President Obama to begin to withdraw U.S. troops. 59% of Democrats, and 50% of independents, oppose sending any more troops, while 73% of Republicans support sending more troops. The USA Today / Gallup poll was conducted October 6, 2009.
• United States: 57% oppose the war, while 40% favor the war. 50% oppose sending more troops, while 46% favor sending more troops. A plurality of 34% "strongly oppose" sending more troops. 57% of Democrats oppose sending more troops, while 69% of Republicans favor sending more troops. 46% approve of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation, while 41% disapprove.
• United States: 54% oppose an increase in troops: A plurality of 40% want the U.S. to "decrease the number of troops in Afghanistan and begin to get out", 14% want to keep the number the same as there is now, while 38% would increase the number of U.S. troops. 68% think the war "will go on and on without a clear resolution", while 20% think the United States will eventually win. 55% think the war has been unsuccessful, while 42% believe it has been successful. 17% of Democrats support sending more troops. 61% of Democrats want to decrease U.S. troop numbers and begin to get out. The Clarus Research poll was conducted October 1–4, 2009.

September

• Canada: 82% want Canada to end its combat role and either focus on training and development only or bring the Canadian troops home as soon as possible: 45% want Canada to end the combat role and "provide help in training and development only" and 37% want their troops to just "leave Afghanistan as soon as possible". 12% thought Canadian troops should "stay in combat roles until the war is won", while 6% did not know or refused to answer. The Leger Marketing poll was conducted September 22–25, 2009.
• Finland: About half of Finns say Finland should continue its peacekeeping role. 65% do not think furthering human rights and democracy in Afghanistan is likely, while 25% were optimistic of the outcome. While 50% said Finland should not withdraw its peacekeeping troops charged with supporting provincial government security, 35% want them withdrawn. 44% think the peacekeeping troops should remain as long as needed, while 27% want them withdrawn within a year. 16% had no opinion on the matter. The Helsingin Sanomat / Suomen Gallup poll was conducted September 14–15, 2009.
• Germany: 54% oppose their country's military operations, and 44% support them. 58% oppose any extension of the mission, and 39% support one. The ZDF – Tagesspiegel poll was conducted September 11, 2009.
• Germany: 55% want their troops brought home from the war. The Forsa Institute poll was conducted September 10–11, 2009.
• Germany: 57% want the withdrawal of their troops "as soon as possible", while 37% do not. The ARD – Deutschlandtrend poll was conducted September 10, 2009.
• Italy: 58% are against the war and want their soldiers brought back, while 26% supported keeping the troops there. The remaining 16% did not know. The ISPO – Corriere della Sera poll was conducted in the second week of September, before the deaths of 6 Italian soldiers in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul on September 17, Italy's' deadliest day in the war to date.
• Netherlands: 70% oppose extending their country's military deployment past 2010. 21% support continuing the mission after 2010. The Maurice de Hond poll was conducted September 24, 2009.
• Poland: 76% oppose the continued presence of their country's military in Afghanistan, and 77% want the military operation ended immediately, a 12 point increase from a survey in June. 20% support the military involvement, with support falling consistently each month. The CBOS poll was conducted in September.
• United States: 60% oppose increasing the number of troops: 40% favor an increase, 37% want the number of troops to be reduced, and 23% think they should be kept the same. 56% think the U.S. is not winning the war, while 10% think it is. 33% were not sure. The Economist / YouGov poll was conducted September 27–29, 2009.
• United States: 48% oppose sending any more U.S. troops. 41% want to begin to withdraw U.S. troops, while 41% favor sending more troops. 7% think the number should be kept the same as it is. 62% of Democrats oppose sending any more U.S. troops and 53% of Democrats want to begin to withdraw U.S. troops. 63% of Republicans favor sending more troops. 30% of Democrats support sending more U.S. troops. The USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted September 22–23, 2009.
• United States: 59% oppose sending any more U.S. troops. 32% want a reduction of U.S. troops, while 27% want the number to remain as it is. 29% support sending any additional U.S. troops. 55% are only willing to have large numbers of U.S. troops remain for no longer than 2 more years: The plurality 31% are only willing to have large numbers of U.S. troops remain less than 1 year, and another 24% accept 1 or 2 years. 27% are willing to have large numbers of U.S. troops stay longer than 5 more years. 51% think the war is going badly for the U.S., while 35% think it is going well. 47% think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war, while 42% think the U.S. should not be involved now. 56% think the situation is staying about the same, while 26% think it is getting worse, and 8% think it is getting better. 68% think the U.S. military actions have not decreased the threat of terrorism in the U.S. 51% think the threat of terrorism against the U.S. has stayed about the same, 27% think that it has decreased, and 17% think that it has increased, as a result of the U.S. military actions. 51% think the threat of terrorism to the United States would either stay the same or even decrease if the U.S. withdrew its troops: 42% think it would stay about the same, 43% think it would increase, and 9% think it would decrease if the U.S. withdrew its troops. The New York Times/CBS News poll was conducted September 19–23, 2009.
• United States: 59% are less confident the war will come to a successful conclusion. 51% oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 44% support doing so. 55% do not think the U.S. should have an immediate and orderly withdrawal of all troops, while 38% do think the U.S. should have an immediate and orderly withdrawal of all troops. 43% think the U.S. should not devote time and troops to try building a strong, stable government, while 47% feel the U.S. should help build a strong, stable government. The NBC News / Wall Street Journal poll was conducted September 17–20, 2009.
• United States: 50% say that NATO troops should remain "until the situation has stabilized.", a decline from 57% in June, while 43% want to remove troops as soon as possible, an increase from 38% in June. 56% of Democrats want to remove NATO troops as soon as possible, 71% of Republicans favor keeping them there. By nearly two to one, 55% to 29%, Republicans thought the U.S. is making progress rather than losing ground in defeating the Taliban militarily. The Pew Research Center poll was conducted September 10–15, 2009.
• United States: 55% are not confident that U.S. policies will be successful, and 14% are confident. A plurality of 42% believe the situation is getting worse, while 8% believe it is getting better. The plurality 42% see no difference between the situation for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and in Iraq, while 36% think the situation is worse in Afghanistan than in Iraq. The Harris poll was conducted September 8–15, 2009.
• United States: 58% oppose the war, while 39% support the war. 23% of Democrats and 39% independents support the war, while 62% of Republicans support the war. 75% of Democrats oppose the war. The CNN – Opinion Research poll was conducted September 11–13, 2009.
• United States: "Americans are broadly skeptical of President Obama's contention that the war in Afghanistan is necessary for the war against terrorism to be a success, and few see an increase in troops as the right thing to do." A plurality of 42% want a reduction of the number of U.S. troops. 26% think more troops should be sent. 28% think they should be kept "about the same". 56% of Democrats want a reduction of the number of U.S. troops. The plurality 41% of independents also want a reduction of U.S. troops. The plurality 39% of Republicans want more troops to be sent to the war. 51% of Americans think the war is not worth fighting, while 46% think it is. Fewer than half think winning the war is necessary to win the "war on terrorism", with about as many saying it is not. 59% of Democrats think the "war on terrorism" can be a success without winning in Afghanistan, while 66% of Republicans think the war must be won to win the "war on terrorism". The Washington Post – ABC News poll was conducted September 10–12, 2009.* Netherlands: 37% approve of their country's military deployment. The poll by the defence ministry was reported in the news on September 8, 2009. The percentage opposed to the military deployment was not given.

August

• France: 64% oppose their country's military intervention, while 36% favour it. The Ifop / Le Figaro poll was conducted August 10–18, 2009.
• New Zealand: 61% agree with their government's decision to extend the non-combat stay of 140 troops working on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, while 25% disagree, and 13% are unsure. On the other hand, New Zealanders are divided on whether to send SAS (Special Air Service) soldiers back, following a request made by the United States. 47% would support this measure, while 44% would oppose it, a statistical tie within the poll's ±5% margin of error. The remaining 9% were unsure.
• Pakistan: 80% oppose their government's cooperation with the United States on its "war against terror", while 18% support it.
• United Kingdom: 62% oppose their country's troops remaining, while 26% were in favour. The Daily Telegraph / YouGov poll was conducted in August 2009.
• United Kingdom: 66% think their troops are "fighting a war that can't be won", while 24% thought they were "fighting a war that must be won". 50% disagree that the war is worthwhile "to defeat terrorism", while 39% agree that it is. 46% disagree that troops make them safer in Britain, while 40% agree that they do. The Sun / YouGov poll was conducted August 28–29, 2009.
• United Kingdom: More than half are against their country's military involvement. 53% disagree with the British military deployment, while 25% agree with it. The ICM Research / National Army Museum was conducted August 21–23, 2009.
• United Kingdom: More than two-thirds want their country's troops pulled out. 69% think their troops should not be fighting, while 31% thought they should. Three-quarters do not think that fighting is making them safer from terrorism as Gordon Brown and senior ministers had repeatedly been telling them recently. 72% said Gordon Brown was handling the war badly. The BPIX / Mail on Sunday poll was conducted August 20–21, 2009.
• United Kingdom: 57% think their troops should not be in Afghanistan, more than twice the number that think they should. The YouGov / Sky News poll was conducted August 7–10, 2009.
• United States: 57% oppose the war, while 42% support it. The CNN / Opinion Research poll was conducted August 28–31, 2009.
• United States: 41% want the number of U.S. troops to be reduced than the number, 25%, that support sending more U.S. troops. 48% approve of President Obama's handling of Afghanistan, and 52% think things are going badly for the U.S.. 37% believe things are going well. The CBS News poll was conducted August 27–31, 2009.
• United States: The majority oppose sending more U.S. troops. 56% oppose sending more troops, while 35% support doing so. 54% think the U.S. is not winning the war, while 29% think it is. 66% of Democrats and 67% of independents oppose sending more troops. In one group was there a majority in favor of sending more troops: 52% of Republicans. The McClatchy / Ipsos poll was conducted August 27–31, 2009,.
• United States: 59% think the "United States will withdraw...without winning", while 41% think the United States will win the war. 75% think U.S. troops will still be in Afghanistan in three years time, in 2012, while 7% did not think so and 18% were not sure. The Economist / YouGov poll was conducted August 23–25, 2009,.
• United States: 51% say the war is not worth fighting, while 47% think it is – a statistical tie within the poll's ±3% margin of error. 24% favor sending more U.S. troops, while almost twice as many, 45%, want to see the number of U.S. troops reduced. 41% "strongly" think that the war is not worth fighting, compared to 31% that "strongly" think that it is. The ABC News / Washington Post poll was conducted August 13–17, 2009.
• United States: Most oppose the war. In a new low in American public support for the war, 54% oppose the war, while 41% support it. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans support the warfgh. Three quarters of Democrats oppose the war.

July

• Canada: The majority oppose the military mission. 52% oppose the military operation, while 43% support it. 38% think their country did the right thing in sending military forces.
• Canada: 54% oppose their country's military participation, while support is at 34%.
• Czech Republic: Half do not want their country's soldiers – 50% disagree with the presence of Czech soldiers, while the other half approve of it.
• Finland: 62% want Finnish troops, charged with supporting provincial government security, to remain: 55% want the number of Finnish troops to remain steady, 18% want them withdrawn, and 7% would increase their number. 48% say their troops should only serve in operations with minimal likelihood of combat. 45% said they should engage the enemy if necessary.
• Germany: 69% believe their country's military should leave as soon as possible. This is a 5% increase since April when 64% wanted their troops to pull out as quickly as possible, and the highest figure yet from the poll on the issue.
• Italy: 56% want their government to draft a plan to withdraw all Italian soldiers either immediately or gradually. 22% want an immediate withdrawal of their troops, while 34% think a gradual withdrawal would be better. 37% oppose bringing their troops back. The remaining 7% had no opinion.
• Netherlands: 74% want their government to pull out all or at least most of their troops: 43% would keep a limited number of soldiers, 31% would withdraw all soldiers, 20% would maintain more or less the current role, and 3% would extend the mission beyond 2010. The remaining 4% did not know.
• United Kingdom: 77% feel that the cause of war is not sufficiently worthwhile to risk the lives of British troops. 15% believe the cause is worth the loss of British soldiers' lives. 8% did not know.
• United Kingdom: More than half think military operations are futile and want their troops to be withdrawn immediately. 58% see the war as "unwinnable" and 31% disagree. 52% want their country's troops out immediately, while 43% want them to stay. 60% do not think any more troops or resources should be sent, while 35% support reinforcement.
• United States: 53% oppose the war, while 44% support it. A plurality of 34% strongly oppose the war, 20% strongly favor it. 19% somewhat oppose the war and 20% somewhat favor it. 3% did not know or declined to answer. 66% of Republicans favor the war, while 26% of Democrats do.
• United Kingdom: The majority oppose the military mission. 53% oppose the military operation, while 39% support it. 28% think their country did the right thing in sending military forces. 53% think that their country made a mistake in sending military forces. 43% would agree with the UK government actively negotiating with the Taliban, while 37% would disagree.
• United Kingdom: 64% want all British forces to be withdrawn "as quickly as possible", while 33% do not. 60% disagree with devoting any more British troops or resources, while 34% would agree.
• United Kingdom: Over two-thirds believe that their country's troops should be withdrawn either now (34%) or within the next year (33%). 29% think their troops should stay there until the situation becomes stable even if it takes many years.
• United Kingdom: 70% feel that the war is not worth risking the lives of British troops. 24% feel that it is worth risking the lives of British soldiers for. The remaining 6% did not know. Presented with a multiple choice question of what they think should happen: 14% think more British troops should be sent there; 36% feel other countries should send more troops but not Britain; 9% think current troop levels should be maintained as long as necessary; 21% want Britain to withdraw all its troops; and 12% think all western troops should be withdrawn.
• United States: The majority support the military mission. 55% support the military operation, while 35% oppose it. 49% think their country did the right thing in sending military forces. 48% also feel that they do not have a clear idea of what the war is about.
• United States: 51% think the war is worth fighting 45%, think the war is not worth fighting – a statistical tie within the poll's ±3 point margin of error. 62% approve of the way President Obama is handling the situation, while 30% do not. The American public remains closely divided on whether the United States is making significant process toward winning the war, with 46% thinking so and 42% not.
• United States: 36% think the U.S. involvement is a mistake. 54% think things are going well for the U.S. 56% of Democrats think the U.S. involvement is a mistake, while 13% of Republicans think it is a mistake. In those identifying as independents, 39% think the U.S. involvement is a mistake.
• United Kingdom: 59% want their country's troops to be withdrawn 36% think they should stay there.
• United Kingdom: 56% want their troops brought home within six months by the end of the year: A plurality of 42% want the immediate withdrawal of British troops, while a further 14% want them home by the end of 2009. 36% want the troops to stay as long as needed. Twice as many people think British troops are making no difference to the country, or even causing harm, than think they are doing good. 47% are opposed to their country's military operations, while 46% support it. In a previous ICM poll for the BBC in March 2008, 48% were opposed to their country's military operations, while 40% supported it.

June

• Germany: Two-thirds want their soldiers out of Afghanistan – and as soon as possible. One-third support the mission.
• Germany: 61% believe the German military should withdraw, while 33% thought they should stay. The level of opposition to the deployment is up from 59% in a similar poll in September 2008, and 52% in September 2007.

Transatlantic Trends Survey

The German Marshall Fund of the United States, Transatlantic Trends survey 2009, conducted June 9 – July 1, 2009, had the following results:

• Bulgaria: 72% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. 50% want Bulgarian troops to be completely withdrawn. Another 22% want their troops numbers to be reduced. 14% want their troop numbers kept at the current level, and 2% think their country should send more troops.
• France: 51% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. A plurality, 41%, want French troop numbers kept at the current level. 34% want their troops to be completely withdrawn, and 17% want the number of their troops to be reduced. 4% think their country should send more troops.
• Germany: 57% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. A plurality, 41%, want German troops to be completely withdrawn. Another 16% want the number of German troops to be reduced. 35% think the number of troops should remain the same. 7% of Germans think their country should send more troops.
• Italy: 55% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. A plurality, 38%, want Italian troop numbers kept at the current level. 34% want their troops to be completely withdrawn, and 21% want the number of their troops to be reduced. 6% think their country should send more troops.
• Netherlands: 50% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. A plurality, 43%, want Dutch troop numbers kept at the current level. 28% want their troops to be completely withdrawn, and 22% want the number of their troops to be reduced. 5% think their country should send more troops.
• Poland: 68% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. 51% want Polish troops to be completely withdrawn. Another 17% want the number of Polish troops to be reduced. 22% think the number of troops should remain the same. 5% think their country should send more troops.
• Portugal: 52% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. A plurality, 40%, want Portuguese troop numbers kept at the current level. 38% want their troops to be completely withdrawn. Another 14% want the number of Portuguese troops to be reduced. 7% of Portuguese think their country should send more troops.
• Romania: 71% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. 48% want Romanian troops to be completely withdrawn. 23% want their troops numbers to be reduced. 16% want their troop numbers kept at the current level, and 5% think their country should send more troops.
• Slovakia: 61% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. 31% want Slovak troop numbers to be reduced, 31% want troop numbers kept at the current level, and 30% want their troops to be completely withdrawn. 2% think their country should send more troops.
• Spain: 54% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. 37% want Spanish troops to be completely withdrawn, and another 17% want their troop numbers reduced. 37% want their troop numbers kept at the current level. 7% think their country should send more troops.
• Turkey: 50% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. A plurality, 30%, want Turkish troops to be completely withdrawn, and another 20% want their troops numbers to be reduced. 21% want troop numbers kept at the current level. 14% think their country should send more troops.
• United Kingdom: 60% want some or all of their country's military forces to be withdrawn. A plurality, 41%, want British troops to be completely withdrawn. Another 19% want the number of British troops reduced. 27% think the number of troops should remain the same. 11% think their country should send more troops.
• United States: 62% want to maintain or increase U.S. troop levels. A plurality, 32%, want U.S. troop numbers kept at the current level. 19% want their troops to be completely withdrawn, and 11% want the number of their troops to be reduced. 30% think their country should send more troops.

The 25-Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey

The 2009 Pew Global Attitudes Survey had the following results:

• Argentina: 77% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 6% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 67% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 12% approve.
• Brazil: 56% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 26% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 57% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 27% approve.
• Canada: 50% want NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible, while 43% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 55% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 42% approve.
• China: 70% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 16% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 71% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 17% approve.
• Egypt: 70% want NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible, while 19% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 64% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 19% approve.
• France: 49% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 50% want them kept until the situation has stabilised – a statistical tie within the margin of error. 62% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 37% approve.
• Germany: 47% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 48% want them kept until the situation has stabilised – a statistical tie within the margin of error. 63% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 32% approve.
• India: A plurality of 42% want NATO troops to be kept until the situation has stabilised, while 29% want them removed as soon as possible. A plurality 38% approve of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 27% disapprove.
• Indonesia: 66% want NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible, while 17% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 55% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 42% approve.
• Israel: 59% want NATO troops to be kept until the situation has stabilised, while 27% want them removed as soon as possible. 54% approve of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 32% disapprove.
• Japan: 51% want NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible, while 36% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 62% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 28% approve.
• Jordan: 86% want NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible, while 12% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 66% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 11% approve.
• Kenya: 56% want NATO troops to be kept until the situation has stabilised, while 30% want them removed as soon as possible. 53% approve of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 31% disapprove.
• Mexico: 51% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 22% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 52% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 22% approve.
• Nigeria: 52% want NATO troops to be kept until the situation has stabilised, while 41% want them removed as soon as possible. A plurality of 49% approve of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 44% disapprove.
• Pakistan: 72% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 4% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 57% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 16% approve.
• Palestinian Territories: 90% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 5% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 84% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 12% approve..
• Poland: 57% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 30% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 57% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 28% approve.
• Russia: 66% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 16% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 66% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 13% approve.
• South Korea: The plurality 49% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 38% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. 55% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 28% approve.
• Spain: 46% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 44% want them kept until the situation has stabilised – a statistical tie within the margin of error. 50% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 41% approve.
• Turkey: 63% want NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible, while 15% want them kept until the situation has stabilised. The plurality 49% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 16% approve
• United Kingdom: 48% want NATO troops removed as soon as possible, while 46% want them kept until the situation has stabilised – a statistical tie within the margin of error. 51% disapprove of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 41% approve.
• United States: 57% want NATO troops to be kept until the situation has stabilised, while 38% want them removed as soon as possible. 52% approve of U.S. President Obama sending additional troops, while 42% disapprove.

May

• Australia: A plurality, 49%, oppose their government's announced increase of 450 more troops in Afghanistan, while 36% support the increase.
• Canada: Half want to end the Afghan mission before 2011, and 84% want their country's military presence to wane by 2011. 51% want the bulk of the troops to be withdrawn before 2011. 33% think the bulk of the troops should be withdrawn in 2011. 7% would keep Canadian troops in Afghanistan past 2011. 57% continue to disagree with their government's latest extension from February 2009 to 2011.
• Canada: 54% continue to be opposed to their country having troops in Afghanistan, while 39% support it. Almost 90% want their troops out of Afghanistan before or by the scheduled end date in 2011. 40% want the troops brought back early while 46% say they should be withdrawn in July 2011. 8% think the mission should continue past July 2011. 54% do not think the additional increases in U.S. troops will succeed, while 41% do.
• United States: Americans continue to be split over the war with 50% in favor and 48% opposed in a poll with a margin of error of ±3%. 36% of Americans feel things are going well for the United States in the war, while 60% say things are going poorly.

April

• Australia: Half would end their country's participation in the war. 50% want their troops to be withdrawn. 24% think the number of Australian troops should be kept the same. 14% would support increasing the number of troops if asked by the United States.
• Australia: 53% approve of Australia's military participation in Afghanistan, while 39% disapprove of it. 69% believe the United States and its allies are losing the war, while 17% believe that they are winning it.
• Canada: A majority continue to be opposed to their government's commitment to have troops in Afghanistan. Overall, 55% oppose the military mission in Afghanistan, while 40% support it. Three times more Canadians are strongly opposed to the mission (27%) than strongly support it (9%). 37% of those that support the mission would withdraw that support if the controversial Afghan law affecting women's rights is enacted.
• Denmark: A majority support negotiating with the Taliban to achieve peace in Afghanistan, and 53% support their country's military participation there. 47% do not think the war can be won, while 29% do.
• Germany: 64% want their troops to pull out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible. 32% support keeping the troops there – the lowest level of support in Germany since the poll question was asked.
• Netherlands: The majority think their government should not comply with a request by the United States to extend the presence of Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan. 59% do not want their country's troops to stay in Afghanistan after 2010. 31% think they should stay after 2010 when the current mission is due to expire.
• United Kingdom: 72% are against sending more British troops to Afghanistan. 22% support sending more troops.
• United States: 53% favor the war. 46% oppose the war. More than two-thirds back the president's plan to send roughly 20,000 more U.S. troops, while 31% oppose those planned increases. 52% would oppose sending even more U.S. troops than already announced, while 45% would support doing so.
• United States: 4 in 10 want to see more U.S. troops in Afghanistan. 51% want the troop levels to be decreased or held steady. One-third think U.S. troop levels should be decreased. 18% think troop levels should be kept the same. 52% think things are going badly for the U.S. in Afghanistan, while 36% think they are going well.

March

• Australia: Australians oppose sending extra troops as the death toll mounts. 66% of Australian voters, oppose sending any more Australian troops, while 30% support doing so. 51% oppose their country's involvement in the war, while 44% support it.
• Australia: 65% say they are against sending any more Australian troops. 28% would support an increase in Australian forces if asked by the American government. Most voters oppose sending any more troops even if asked by U.S. President Barack Obama.
• Germany: Most want all of their troops out, with 58% wanting their country's troops to come home. The mission has always been highly unpopular in Germany, and 36% were in favour of the troops staying.
• United Kingdom: Nearly two-thirds want British troops to be brought back home. 60% were unconvinced by their government's arguments in support of keeping a British military presence, while 35% were convinced. 30% of Britons said that they were "very unconvinced" by their government's arguments, while 8% were "very convinced" that British troops should stay.
• United Kingdom: 69% say that the aim of stabilising Afghanistan is not sufficiently worthwhile to risk the lives of British troops, and 64% think the war there can never be won. 64% of Britons also favour talking to the Taliban to achieve a deal, while 24% disagreed. 24% thought the aim of stabilising Afghanistan was worth risking the lives of British soldiers, 21% thought that the war can be won eventually, and 8% thought that more British troops should be sent. More Britons (26%) feel that the presence of NATO troops provokes extremism and instability in Pakistan than (21%) feel that keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan will stop the spread of instability into Pakistan. At least 43% of Britons want their troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
• United States: American support for the war has ebbed to a new low with 42% saying that their country made a mistake in sending military forces. The figure is the highest percentage since the poll first asked the question in November 2001, a few weeks into the U.S. invasion. Those that think the war is going well dropped to 38% in the latest poll, the lowest percentage since that question was asked in September 2006.

February

• Canada: 52% continue to disagree with their government's latest extension of the military mission in Afghanistan until 2011, and half would end the mission. 48% want the bulk of Canadian troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan even before the 2011 withdrawal date promised by the government. 35% think that the bulk of the troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2011. 7% think the bulk of the troops should remain past the 2011 mission end-date.
• Canada: 65% say no to keeping troops in Afghanistan should President Obama request it, while 20% said yes.
• Denmark: 55% believe the war against the Afghan insurgency cannot be won, while 22% think victory is possible. Another 22% remain uncertain. 48% believed Denmark should maintain troops in Afghanistan, while 41% believed Denmark should withdraw its troops from here. The poll came as Danish soldiers began negotiating with the Taliban as a necessary step to have peace in Afghanistan.
• United States: 51% are opposed to the war while 47% favor the war. 63% of those polled still said they supported President Obama's plan to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, while 36% opposed the increase.
• United States: In results that differed from those of 4 recent polls, two-thirds approved of President Obama's decision to send 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, while one-third disapprove of the decision. One in four Americans says Obama should reduce the number of U.S. troops or withdraw them entirely. 17% of Republicans and 29% of Democrats think that the number of troops should be reduced or that the troops should be completely withdrawn. Nearly half of those polled were of the belief that Afghanistan would become stable enough within the next three years to allow most U.S. troops to be withdrawn by that time: 49% are of the belief that most U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan within 3 years while 46% do not think so.
• United States: Americans are almost evenly divided about whether the United States should keep a significant number of troops in Afghanistan until the situation improves (48%) or whether it should set a timetable for withdrawal (47%).

January

• Canada: 55% oppose an extension of the mission in Afghanistan if requested by President Obama, while 30% support it.
• France: 53% of respondents reject sending any more troops to Afghanistan.
• Germany: 60% do not wish their government to send more troops to Afghanistan under any circumstances.
• Italy: 53% reject sending any more troops to Afghanistan.
• United Kingdom: 57% do not want to send any more troops to Afghanistan.
• United States: A plurality of 46% oppose the President's plan to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, 30% support an increase. 24% are not sure.
• United States: One-third support President Obama's plan to increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. 33% of all adults, and 27% of Democrats, support the proposed increase. The majority of Americans either think the number of troops should not be changed (21%) or the number of troops in Afghanistan should be cut (27%).
• United States: 34% support an increase, 28% do not want the number changed, and 26% want a reduction of the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
• United States: More than 60% oppose sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, 34% support an increase.

2008

December

• Canada: 58% continue to disagree with their government's latest extension of the military mission until 2011, wanting a quicker end to the Afghan mission. 53% want the bulk of Canadian troops to be withdrawn before the year 2011. 30% think that the bulk of the troops should stay until 2011 at which point they should be withdrawn. 8% think the bulk of the troops should remain past 2011.
• United Kingdom: Almost half are completely against providing more troops. 46% say their country should not send more troops to the war "under any circumstances", even upon request by Barack Obama. 39% would agree to send more soldiers but only when more British troops have been withdrawn from Iraq. 3% would send more troops as soon as possible.

November

• Canada: 56% continue to disagree with their government's proposed extension of the military mission until 2011, and 53% want for the bulk of Canadian troops to be withdrawn even before 2011. 33% think the bulk of the troops should be withdrawn in 2011. 7% would agree to any further extension past 2011.
• Germany: Most Germans feel their country is already doing enough and are against sending more troops. 80% say that a U.S. request for more troops should be refused, while 15% support more involvement.
• Sweden: The plurality, 37%, would withdraw all soldiers. 36% would maintain the current level of troops, while 17% agreed with sending more troops.
• United Kingdom: 68% want their government to end its military deployment within the next 12 months. 24% think they should stay past November 2009. 75% of women, 59% of men, and 75% of adults in the 18–24 age group said they wanted the troops to be pulled out.

October

• Czech Republic: 70% are against their government raising the number of Czech soldiers, while 30% support it. 57% are opposed to the deployment of their soldiers abroad, while 43% agree with it.
• Japan: 47% support and 43% oppose a 1-year extension of a naval mission to provide fuel and other logistical support in the Indian Ocean to military forces fighting in Afghanistan.

September

• Australia: 56% oppose the continuation of their country's military involvement, while 42% support it. Half have confidence in their government's long-term strategy there.
• Canada: The numbercwho disapprove of their country's military action is at its highest point since Canada became involved in the war in 2002. 56% disapprove of their country's military action, while 41% approve of it. 65% say the mission is not likely to be successful, while 28% think it is likely to be successful. 54% disagree with an extension of the mission past February 2009, while 41% agree with it.
• France: The majority of people want their government to pull their troops out. 62% are opposed to keeping their troops, while 34% support keeping them there.
• Poland: 74% express disapproval of the presence of their troops, while 21% support it. 60% think that their military involvement could bring about a terrorist attack, while 30% do not. Most are skeptical that the goals of the NATO mission will be fulfilled: 65% doubt that the mission will contribute to bringing peace to the country, while 19% think it will.

August

• France: The majority voters want their troops to be pulled out. 55% want their government led by Nicolas Sarkozy to bring their troops home, while 36% are in favour of keeping them in.
• United States: 54% are not confident that U.S. efforts will be successful, while 17% are confident of success. 11% think the situation is improving, while the plurality 37% think the situation is getting worse.

July

• Canada: The majority believe their government was wrong to lengthen their country’s military mission. 58% disagree with their government's proposed extension of the mission past February 2009, while 36% agree with it.
• Norway: 45% oppose their country's military participation, while 42% support it.
• United States: 51% think the war has not been successful, while 44% think it has been successful. 51% think the war is worth fighting.
• United States: 68% think that the U.S. did not make a mistake in sending military forces, down from 72% in 2004 and 93% in 2002. 51% Americans think that things are going badly for the U.S. in Afghanistan, up from 46% in 2006, while 46% believe things are going well, down from 49% in 2006.

June

• United Kingdom: The majority of people want their soldiers to return home. 54% think the troops should be brought back, while 34% think they should remain.

Pew Global Attitudes Project Survey

The 24 Nation Pew Global Attitudes Project Survey had the following results:

• Australia: 60% want NATO troops to stay until the situation has stabilized, while 33% want them to leave as soon as possible.
• France: 54% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 46% want them to stay.
• Germany: 54% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 43% want them to stay.
• India: 42% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 33% want them to stay.
• Japan: 60% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 32% want them to stay.
• Jordan: 76% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 16% want them to stay.
• Poland: 65% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 24% want them to stay.
• South Korea: 46% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible; 37% want them to stay.
• Spain: 56% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 34% want them to stay.
• Turkey: 68% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 25% want them to stay.
• United Kingdom: 48% want NATO troops to stay until the situation has stabilized, while 43% want them to leave as soon as possible.
• United States: 50% want NATO troops to stay until the situation has stabilized, while 44% want them to leave as soon as possible.

May

• Canada: The majority of Canadians believe their government was wrong to lengthen their country’s military mission. 54% of Canadians disagree with their government's proposed extension of the military mission past February 2009, while 41% agree with it.

April

• France: The majority in France rejects a larger role. 68% are against their government's plan under Nicolas Sarkozy to increase the number of their troops, while 15% support his increase.
• Netherlands: 49% are against the mission and want their government to pull their troops out in the summer of 2008, while 44% support it.
• Netherlands: 49% oppose the Dutch engagement in Uruzgan province, while 46% support it.
• Poland: The majority are against their country's military mission. Over three-quarters oppose their country's military involvement, and almost two-thirds feel that no military operation is going to bring peace to that country. 57% think that their country's military participation in Afghanistan and Iraq is likely to provoke terrorist attacks in Poland.

March

• Canada: The majority believe their government was wrong to lengthen their country’s military mission. 58% disagree with their government's proposed extension of the military mission past February 2009, while 37% agree with it.
• United Kingdom: The plurality 48% in the United Kingdom oppose their country's military involvement in Afghanistan, while 40% support it.

February

• Germany: 63% do not think the mission is in their country's best interests. 86% are opposed to having German troops become more deeply involved in the fighting.
• Norway: 57% support Norway's participation in NATO's mission, while 32% oppose the participation.

January

• Canada: 56% of Canadians oppose sending troops, while 39% support.
• Italy: 56% of Italians want their soldiers to leave.
• Netherlands: 50% of Dutch citizens oppose the Dutch engagement in Uruzgan province, while 43% support it.

2007

December

• Japan: 47% oppose Japan's role, while 39% support it.
• Netherlands: 51% disagree with their government's continuation of the Dutch military mission in Uruzgan, while 44% support it.
• Netherlands: 43% oppose their government's extension of their country's military role, while 24% support it.
• United Kingdom: 62% believe their troops should be withdrawn, either immediately or in the next year or so, while 27% feel they should stay.
• United States: 56% approve of the U.S. military action, while 41% are opposed to it. 58% think neither side is winning.

November

• Netherlands: 51% disagree with their government's continuation of the Dutch military mission in Uruzgan, while 44% support it.

October

• Australia: 50% oppose their country's military involvement. Three-quarters see their country's involvement in the war as making their nation more of a terrorist target.

September

• Australia: 46% would bring an end to Australia's military involvement, while 46% disagree.
• Poland: The majority of people oppose the presence of their country’s soldiers in Afghanistan: 72% are against Poland’s participation in the war, while22% support it.

August

• Finland: 68% would keep the same number of soldiers, 19% would withdraw all soldiers, 6% would send more soldiers, and 7% did not know. 52% of Finns oppose adding Afghanistan to the list of countries receiving development assistance from Finland, while 32% support doing so.
• Germany: 60% want their troops brought home.

July

• Canada: 59% oppose sending troops, while 36% support.
• Poland: The majority oppose the mission. 78% oppose the presence of Polish soldiers, while 17% support it.

June

• European Union: The majority 65% of Europeans oppose the use of their troops to conduct combat operations against the Taliban. 31% support combat operations.

Pew Global Attitudes Survey

The 47-Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey had the following results:

• Bulgaria: 60% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 21% want them to stay.
• Czech Republic: 45% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 45% want them to stay.
• France: 51% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 48% want them to stay.
• Germany: 49% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 44% want them to stay.
• India: 49% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 34% want them to stay.
• Italy: 55% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 32% want them to stay.
• Japan: 47% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 29% want them to stay.
• Jordan: 78% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 15% want them to stay.
• Poland: 63% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 24% want them to stay.
• Slovakia: 58% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 29% want them to stay.
• South Korea: 60% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 28% want them to stay.
• Spain: 67% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 22% want them to stay.
• Sweden: 45% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 34% want them to stay.
• Turkey: 74% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 11% want them to stay.
• Ukraine: 72% want NATO troops to leave as soon as possible, while 11% want them to stay.
• United Kingdom: 45% want NATO troops to stay, while 42% want them to leave as soon as possible.
• United States: 50% want NATO troops to stay, while 42% want them to leave as soon as possible.

May

• Germany: 56% of Germans want their country's soldiers withdrawn.

March

• Germany: 57% want a complete withdrawal of their troops, while 36% favor continued engagement.
• Italy: 70% oppose their country's military presence, while 27% support it.

February

• Germany: 77% oppose their government's proposal of having as many as eight Tornado reconnaissance jets with 500 pilots and support staff for the south of Afghanistan.

January

• United States: 52% oppose the war, while 44% favour it.

International public opinion compared to American public opinion

In October 2001, a poll by CNN/Gallup/USA Today indicated that about 88% of Americans backed military action in Afghanistan, and a poll by Market Opinion Research indicated that about 65% of Britons supported having British troops involved. On the other hand, a large-scale 37-nation poll of world opinion carried out by Gallup International in late September 2001, found that majorities in most countries favoured a legal response, in the form of extradition and trial, over a military response to 9/11: In 3 of the 37 countries surveyed – the United States, Israel, and India – did majorities favour military action. In 34 out of the 37 countries surveyed, the survey found majorities that did not favour military action: in the United Kingdom (75%), France (67%), Switzerland (87%), Czech Republic (64%), Lithuania (83%), Panama (80%), Mexico (94%), etc.

This dichotomy between American and international public opinion on the military operations continues to be seen, although opposition to the war is growing in the U.S. as well. A Gallup poll conducted July 10–12, 2009 reported that the majority 61% of Americans do not think the U.S. made a mistake in sending military forces in 2001, while 36% of Americans do. 54% also thought things are going well for the U.S.. An Angus Reid poll conducted July 15–18, 2009, found that 55% of Americans support the military operation, while 35% oppose it. 49% of Americans thought their country did the right thing in sending military forces. About half, 48%, of Americans felt that they did not have a clear idea of what the war is about.

Outside the United States international public opinion has been largely opposed to the war. In a 47-nation June 2007 survey of global public opinion, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to NATO operations. In 4 out of the 47 countries surveyed was there a majority that favoured keeping troops: the U.S. (50%), Israel (59%), Ghana (50%), and Kenya (60%). In 41 of the 47 countries, pluralities want NATO troops out as soon as possible. In 32 out of 47 countries, majorities want NATO troops out as soon as possible. Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries say troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible.

The 24-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2008 similarly found that majorities or pluralities in 21 of 24 countries want NATO to remove their troops as soon as possible. In 3 out of the 24 countries – the U.S. (50%), Australia (60%), and Britain (48%) – did public opinion lean more toward keeping troops there until the situation has stabilized. Since that poll, views in Britain and Australia have also diverged from public opinion in the United States, and majorities in both Britain and Australia now want their troops to be brought back home from the war. Of the seven NATO countries included in the survey, none showed a majority in favor of keeping NATO troops until the situation stabilised – only the United States came close to a majority (50%). Of the other six NATO countries, five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops to be removed as soon as possible: Spain (56%), France (54%), Germany (54%), Poland (65%), and Turkey (72%).

The 25-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2009 continued to find the war to be unpopular in most nations, with most publics wanting American and NATO troops out as soon as possible. The 2009 global survey reported that majorities or pluralities in 18 out of 25 countries want NATO to remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible. (Changes from the 2008 survey included Tanzania, South Africa, and Australia having been replaced by Israel, Kenya, the Palestinian Territories, and Canada in the survey, as well as shifts in opinions in India and Nigeria.) In 4 out of 25 countries was there a majority that favoured keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – the U.S. (57%), Israel (59%), Kenya (56%), and Nigeria (52%). In 1 of the 8 NATO countries included in the survey – the U.S. – was there a majority in favour of keeping NATO troops until the situation stabilised. Despite repeated American calls for NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in all seven of the other NATO countries surveyed: Germany (63% disapprove), France (62%), Poland (57%), Canada (55%), Britain (51%), Spain (50%), and Turkey (49%).

The 22-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey released in June 2010 again continued to find the war unpopular in most nations. The poll reported that majorities or pluralities in 16 of 22 countries want the military forces to be withdrawn "as soon as possible". One country out of the 22 was there a majority that supported keeping troops until the situation stabilizes (57% in Kenya).

Growing American opposition to the war

While support for the war continues to be strongest in the U.S. and Israel, recent polls have also shown growing opposition in the U.S., including majority opposition.

A Washington Post – ABC poll conducted July 15–18, 2009 found that just half of Americans, 51%, think the war is worth fighting, while nearly half, 45%, think the war is not worth fighting – a statistical tie within the poll's ±3 point margin of error. The American public is also closely divided on whether the United States is making significant progress toward winning the war, with 46% thinking so and 42% not.

An Associated Press – GfK poll conducted July 16–20, 2009 found that the majority 53% of Americans oppose the war, while 44% support it. It furthermore found that the plurality of Americans, 34%, strongly opposed the war, while 20% strongly favored it. (Another 19% somewhat opposed the war, 20% somewhat favored it, and 3% did not know or declined to answer.)

A CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted July 31 – August 3, 2009 also found that most Americans now oppose the war. In a new low in American public support for the war, 54% of Americans said they opposed the war, while 41% supported it.

Following the August 20, 2009 election in Afghanistan that was characterized by widespread lack of security and massive fraud, and capping off the two deadliest months for U.S. troops in the 8-year war, the CNN-Opinion Research poll conducted August 28–31, 2009 registered the highest level of opposition to the war the poll has yet seen. A majority 57% of Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan, while 42% still support it.

A Washington Post – ABC News poll conducted September 10–12, 2009 reported that:

Americans are broadly skeptical of President Obama's contention that the war is necessary for the war against terrorism to be a success, and few see an increase in troops as the right thing to do.

The poll found that the plurality 42% of Americans now want a reduction of the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and that 26% of Americans think more troops should be sent to Afghanistan.

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted September 11–13, 2009, found that American opposition to the war reached a new all-time high, while American support for the war fell to a new all-time low. The majority 58% of Americans now oppose the war, while 39% support it.

Keating Holland, CNN's polling director, observed that:

The Afghan war is almost as unpopular as the Iraq war has been for the past four years.

He noted that support for the war in Iraq had first dropped to 39 percent in June 2005 then generally remained in the low to mid-30s since.

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted October 1–5, 2009 found the majority 57% of Americans oppose the war, up 4% from July, while 40% favor the war, down 4% from July.

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted October 30 – November 1, 2009 found that the majority 58% of Americans oppose the war, while 40% support it. The majority 56% of Americans also oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 42% favor doing so.

The Pew Research poll conducted October 28 – November 8, 2009 found that the majority 59% of Americans oppose sending any more U.S. troops: The plurality 40% of Americans want the number of U.S. troops to be reduced, and 19% want the number of troops to remain unchanged. 32% support sending any more U.S. troops.

The Gallup poll conducted November 5–8, 2009 found that the majority 51% of Americans oppose sending any more U.S. troops: The plurality 44% of Americans want the number of U.S. troops to be reduced, and 7% want the number to be kept unchanged.

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted November 5–9, 2009 again found that the majority 57% of Americans oppose the war, while 39% favor it.

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted November 12–15, 2009 found that the majority 52% of Americans now say the war is not worth fighting, a new high in opposition for the poll question first asked in 2007, and that 44% say it is worth fighting, a new low in support. The majority 76% of Americans do not feel that withdrawing would increase the risk of terrorism in the U.S. while 23% feel that it would.

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted December 16–20, 2009 found that the majority 55% of Americans oppose the war, while 43% support it.

The AP/GfK poll conducted January 12–17, 2010 found that the majority 54% of Americans oppose the war, while 43% support it. The plurality of Americans, 32%, "strongly oppose" the war, while 18% "strongly favor" it. The majority 55% of Americans oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 41% would support doing so. The plurality 34% of Americans "strongly oppose" sending any more troops, while 17% "strongly favor" doing so.

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted April 22–25, 2010 showed that the majority 52% of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting, and the plurality 38% of Americans "strongly" think that it has not been worth fighting. 45% of Americans think that the war being carried out has been worth fighting, with 26% of Americans that feel that way strongly.

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted May 21–23, 2010 found that the majority 56% of Americans oppose their country's war, while 42% support it.

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted June 3–6, 2010 showed that the majority 53% of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting, and the plurality 41% of Americans "strongly" think that it has not been worth fighting. 44% of Americans think that the war being carried out has been worth fighting, with 26% of Americans that feel that way strongly.

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted July 7–11, 2010 found that 76% of Americans want to start withdrawing troops by next summer or sooner: 45% call Obama's plan to start withdrawing troops by next summer "about right", and an additional 31% call for the withdrawal to start even sooner. 18% think the withdrawal should start later. The majority 53% of Americans think the war has not been worth fighting, with the plurality 38% of Americans "strongly" feeling so. The poll reported that support for the war hit a new low in the United States: 43% of Americans think the war has been worth fighting, down sharply since the end of the previous year, and the lowest since the question was asked in February 2007.

The CBS News poll conducted July 9–12, 2010 found that the majority 58% of Americans want their troops withdrawn from the war within the next one or two years, and 35% were willing to have U.S. troops stay longer than two years from now. One-third, 33%, of Americans think large numbers of U.S. troops should be withdrawn in less than a year, another 23% think that should be done within one or two years, and 2% want an immediate withdrawal. 26% of Americans think U.S. troops should remain for as long as it takes, 7% think they should stay another two to five years, and 2% think they should stay for another five to ten years.

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted August 6–10, 2010 showed the American public's opposition to the war at an all-time high. The majority 62% of Americans oppose the war, the highest level since the poll question was asked in 2006, while 37% favored the war, an all-time low.

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted December 17–19, 2010 again showed the American public's opposition to the war reaching a new all-time high. The majority 63% of Americans oppose the war, the highest level reached since the poll question was asked in 2006, while 35% favored the war, again a new all-time low.

Opposition by the American public to the war also reached an all-time high in polling by ABC News and the Washington Post in December 2010. A record 60% majority of Americans say the war has not been worth fighting, while 34% say it has, a new record low of support of the war. The unpopularity of the war has now reached the levels seen for the war in Iraq. 81% of Americans want the withdrawal of American military forces to begin within a few months – either in the summer of 2011 as pledged by President Obama, or even sooner than that.

In January 2011, the USA Today / Gallup poll of January 14–16 reported that the majority 72% of Americans want the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan to be accelerated – including majorities in the three political groups – while 25% disagree. Of note, the plurality of Americans, 41%, "strongly" favor speeding up the withdrawal, while 6% "strongly" oppose doing so.

In March 2011, the Washington Post / ABC News poll of March 10–13 reported that the majority 64% of Americans say that the war is no longer worth fighting – the highest level of American opposition to the war measured by the poll – while 31% thought it was – the lowest level of support to date. Nearly three-quarters of Americans, 73%, want President Obama to withdraw a "substanstial number" of troops this summer – while 21% do not. Nearly half of Americans, the plurality 49%, "strongly" think the war is not worth fighting, while 17% strongly think it is.

Following the killing of Osama bin Laden, the USA Today / Gallup poll of May 5–8, 2011, reported that the majority 59% of Americans think the U.S. has finished its work and its troops should be brought home. 36% disagreed, and not a single major demographic group had a majority that favored keeping U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted May 5–9, 2011 reported that the majority 59% of Americans oppose the war, with the plurality 32% of Americans "strongly" opposed to it. 37% of Americans favored the war, the lowest level of support to date. The majority 80% of Americans approve of President Barack Obama's decision to end all U.S. combat operations by 2014 and to begin the withdrawal of troops in July, with the plurality 52% "strongly" approving the ending of combat operations. 15% disapproved, with 8% "strongly" disapproving. The majority 83% of Americans think the announced pace of withdrawal is either about right or too slow, while 15% think it is too fast.

The CBS News / New York Times poll of June 24–28, 2011 reported that the majority 58% of Americans oppose the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan – the highest level of opposition yet recorded by the poll – while 35% thought the U.S. was doing the "right thing" in fighting its war. 79% of Americans approve of the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2014, with 59% of Americans wanting even more than one-third of all U.S. troops withdrawn within the next year, by the end of summer 2012. Altogether, 85% of Americans – including the 75% of Republicans – want at least one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn within the next year, by the end of summer 2012.

The Pew Research Center poll released at the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion reported that the majority 52% of Americans think that, considering the costs versus the benefits to the United States, the war has not been worth fighting, while 41% think it has.

"Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan?"

Date	Favor	Oppose	Unsure
Jun. 3–7, 2011	36%	62%	2%
May 2, 2011	42%	52%	5%
Jan. 21–23, 2011	40%	58%	1%
Dec. 17–19, 2010	35%	63%	5%
Oct. 5–7, 2010	37%	58%	5%
Sep. 21–23, 2010	39%	58%	3%
Sep. 1–2, 2010	41%	57%	2%
Aug. 6–10, 2010	37%	62%	1%
May 21–23, 2010	42%	56%	2%
Mar. 19–21, 2010	48%	49%	3%
Jan. 22–24, 2010	47%	52%	1%
Dec. 16–20, 2009	43%	55%	3%
Dec. 2–3, 2009	46%	51%	2%
Nov. 13–15, 2009	45%	52%	3%
Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, 2009	40%	58%	2%
Oct. 16–18, 2009	41%	57%	2%
Sep. 11–13, 2009	39%	58%	3%
Aug. 28–31, 2009	42%	57%	2%
Jul. 31 – Aug. 3, 2009	41%	54%	5%
May 14–17, 2009	50%	48%	3%
Apr. 3–5, 2009	53%	46%	1%
Feb. 18–19, 2009	47%	51%	2%
Dec. 1–2, 2008	52%	46%	2%
Jul. 27–29, 2008	46%	52%	2%
Jan. 19–21, 2007	44%	52%	4%
Sep. 22–24, 2006	50%	48%	2%

(Pluralities over the ±3 margin of error indicated in bold. Lowest levels indicated in italics. Source: CNN/Opinion Research Corporation)

"Do you favor or oppose the war in Afghanistan?"

Date	Favor	Oppose	Don't know / Refused
May 5–9, 2011	37%	59%	3%
Sep. 8–13, 2010	37%	62%	3%
Aug. 11–16, 2010	38%	58%	3%
Mar. 3–8, 2010	46%	50%	3%
Jan. 12–17, 2010	43%	54%	3%
Dec. 10–14, 2009	39%	57%	4%
Nov. 5–9, 2009	39%	57%	4%
Oct. 1–5, 2009	40%	57%	3%
Jul. 16–20, 2009	44%	53%	4%

(Pluralities over the ±3% margin of error indicated in bold. Lowest levels indicated in italics. Source: AP/GfK)

"Do you think the U.S. doing the right thing fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?"

Date	Right thing	Should not be involved	Unsure
September 28 – October 2, 2011	34%	57%	9%
June 24–28, 2011	35%	58%	7%
June 3–7, 2011	43%	51%	6%
March 18–21, 2011	39%	53%	8%
February 11–14, 2011	37%	54%	9%
September 10–14, 2010	38%	54%	8%
August 20–24, 2010	43%	48%	9%
December 4–8, 2009	49%	39%	11%
October 5–8, 2009	51%	39%	10%
September 19–23, 2009	47%	42%	11%

(Pluralities over the ±3% margin of error indicated in bold. Lowest levels indicated in italics. Source: CBS News)

Dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats

A dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats exists as well. The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted July 16–20, 2009 found 66% of Republicans favoring the war, while 26% of Democrats do.

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted July 31 – August 3, 2009 found that nearly two-thirds of Republicans support the war, while three quarters of Democrats oppose the war. CNN polling director Keating Holland said:

Afghanistan is almost certainly the Obama policy that Republicans like the most.

An ABC News-Washington Post poll conducted August 13–17, 2009 found that 78% of conservative Republicans think the war is worth fighting, while 22% of liberal Democrats do. 65% of conservative Republicans also think that the U.S. is winning the war. 64% of liberal Democrats want the number of U.S. troopsto be reduced, while 22% of conservative Republicans do.

A McClatchy-Ipsos poll conducted August 27–31, 2009, reported that 66% of Democrats and 67% of independents oppose sending more U.S. troops. In one group was there a majority in favor of sending more troops, with 52% of Republicans favoring a further escalation.

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted August 28–31, 2009 again showed that most of the support for the war is from Republicans. Seven in ten Republicans support the war, while nearly three quarters of Democrats oppose the war, as do 57% of independents.

The Washington Post – ABC News poll conducted September 10–12, 2009 found that the majority 56% of Democrats want a reduction of the number of U.S. troops, while the plurality 39% of Republicans want more troops to be sent to the war. 17% of Democrats support sending any more troops. The poll also reported that the majority 59% of Democrats think the "war on terrorism" can be a success without winning, while the majority 66% of Republicans think the war must be won to win the "war on terrorism".

The CNN – Opinion Research poll conducted September 11–13, 2009 found that 23% of Democrats and 39% independents support the war, while a majority 62% of Republicans support the war. The majority 75% of Democrats oppose the war.

The USA Today – Gallup poll conducted September 22–23, 2009 found that the majority 62% of Democrats oppose sending any more U.S. troop, while the majority 63% of Republicans favor sending more U.S. troops. The majority 53% of Democrats want to in fact begin a withdrawal of U.S. troops, while 24% of Republicans want a withdrawal to begin. 30% of Democrats support sending more U.S. troops. Nearly half, 49% of independents oppose sending any more U.S. troops, and the plurality 43% of independents also want to begin to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

The Pew Research Center poll conducted September 10–15, 2009 found that 56% of Democrats want to remove NATO troops "as soon as possible", while, in contrast, 71% of Republicans favor keeping them. By nearly two to one, 55% to 29%, Republicans also thought the U.S. is making progress rather than losing ground in defeating the Taliban militarily. Among Democrats and independents 46% and 49%, respectively, said the U.S. is losing ground in defeating the Taliban militarily.

The Associated Press – GfK poll conducted October 1–5, 2009 found that the majority 57% of Democrats oppose sending more troops, while, on the other hand, the majority 69% of Republicans favor sending more troops there.

The Clarus Research poll conducted October 1–4, 2009, found that 17% of Democrats supported sending more troops. The majority 61% of Democrats want to "decrease U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan and begin to get out". The majority 54% of Republicans favor sending more U.S. troops. Ron Faucheux, president of Clarus Research Group, said:

Should President Obama decide to send more troops to Afghanistan, he will do it in the face of strong opposition from voters in his own party.

In a USA Today / Gallup poll conducted October 6, 2009, 59% of Democrats, and 50% of independents, opposed sending any more troops, while 73% of Republicans favored sending more troops. Half, 50%, of Democrats wanted President Obama to begin to withdraw U.S. troops, while 18% of Republicans wanted this.

In the CBS News poll conducted October 5–8, 2009, the majority 52% of Democrats wanted to decrease the number of U.S. troops, while the majority 57% of Republicans want to increase the number of U.S. troops. 27% of Democrats support sending more troops. The majority 76% of Republicans think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war, while, on the other hand, the plurality 49% of Democrats think the U.S. should not be involved.

In the ABC News – Washington Post poll conducted October 15–18, 2009, the majority 60% of Democrats opposed sending any more U.S. troops, while the majority 69% of Republicans favored sending more troops. 36% of Democrats felt the war was worth fighting, while 71% of Republicans did.

In the Pew Research poll conducted October 28 – November 8, 2009, the majority 70% of Democrats oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 48% of Republicans favor sending more troops there. The plurality 50% of Democrats want the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be reduced, while 25% of Republicans did as well.

In the Gallup poll conducted November 5–8, 2009, the majority 66% of Democrats oppose sending any more U.S. troops, while 63% of Republicans want to send more troops. The majority 60% of Democrats want President Obama to, in fact, begin reducing U.S. troop levels. 26% of Republicans wanted a reduction in troops to begin. Gallup noted:

In the ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted November 12–15, 2009, the political divide in the U.S. over the war continued: the majority 66% of Democrats say the war is not worth fighting, with narly half of Democrats, 48%, feeling strongly that the war is not worth fighting, while, on the other hand, the majority 60% of Republicans say that it is worth fighting, with 43% of Republicans feeling strongly that it is.

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted May 21–23, 2010 noted that the war remained popular with Republicans, with a majority two-thirds of them favoring continuation of the war. 27% of Democrats supported the war, and among independents support has fallen to 40%.

The Pew Global Attitudes survey released in June 2010 also noted the significant partisan difference, finding that nearly two-thirds, a 65% majority, of Republicans wanted to continue to keep the military forces in Afghanistan indefinitely, while 36% of Democrats supported this.

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted June 3–6, 2010 similarly reported that the majority 62% of Republicans think the almost-nine-year war imposed on on that country has been worth its costs to the U.S., while the majority two-thirds, 66%, of Democrats and 53% of independents think it has not been worth fighting. In fact, the majority 54% of Democrat-leaning Americans "strongly" think that the war has not been worth fighting.

The CBS News poll conducted July 9–12, 2010 also reported the strong partisan divide over the war. The 73% majority of Democrats want a timetable set for withdrawal, while the majority 66% of Republicans do not. The nearly-three-quarters majority, 74%, of Democrats want most U.S. troops to be withdrawn within a year or two, while a majority 52% of Republicans want them to stay longer than another two years.

The CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted October 5–7, 2010 reported that 68% of Democrats oppose the war, while, on the other hand, the majority 51% of Republicans favor the war, the only group of respondents to do so. 28% of Democrats support the war. Among Independents, the majority 61% oppose the war, while 35% support it.

The ABC News / Washington Post poll conducted December 9–12, 2010 continued to find that Republicans remained the most supportive of warfare in Afghanistan: albeit down 35% from the peak in 2007, 50% of Republicans still say the war has been worth fighting in that country. Among Democrats 36% think the war has been worth fighting.

In the CNN / Opinion Research poll conducted December 17–19, 2010, the three-quarters majority of Democrat voters oppose the war, as do more than six in ten independent voters, while, on the other hand, 52% of Republicans, and 52% of Tea Party supporters, supported continuation of the war.

The Washington Post / ABC News poll conducted March 10–13, 2011 reported that 19% of Democratic voters think the war is worth fighting – compared to half of Republican supporters, the chief constituency supporting the war. The majority two-thirds of independent voters think the war is not worth fighting, while about one-in-four think it is. 80% of independent voters want Barack Obama to withdraw a "substantial number" of troops from Afghanistan "this summer".

In the USA Today / Gallup poll conducted May 5–8, 2011, a week following the killing of Osama bin Laden, Democrat and independent voters, by a 2-to-1 margin, believe the U.S. has finished its work and should now bring its troops home. The majority two-thirds of Democrat voters, 66%, think that U.S. troops should now be brought home, as do the majority 62% of independent voters. Among Republican voters, an equal number, 47%, think that the American troops should be brought home, and 47% do not. Not a single major demographic group had a majority that favored keeping U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.

In the Gallup poll conducted June 25–26, 2011, the majority of Democrat and independent voters favor the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops by 2014. 87% of Democrat voters and 74% of independent voters favor the planned withdrawal, with 11% and 21% opposed. 50% of Republican voters also favor the announced withdrawal, while 43% opposed it. In the same poll 54% of Republicans thought a timetable should not be set.

In the CBS News / New York Times poll conducted June 24–28, 2011, the majority 60% of Democrat voters and 63% of independent voters oppose their country's military involvement, while 32% and 28%, respectively, support it. 90% of Democrat voters and 79% of independent voters approved of the plan to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of 2014. 94% of Democrat voters and 84% of independent voters want at least one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn within a year, by the end of summer 2012. On the other hand, Republican voters were split, with 48% opposed to the U.S. military involvement and 47% supporting it. 67% of Republican voters approve of President Obama's plan to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of 2014, and 75% want at least one-third of the trooops withdrawn within a year, by the end of summer 2012.

In the Pew Research Center poll released at the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the longest period of sustained warfare in its history, the majority 59% of Democrat voters and the majority 58% of independent voters think the war has not been worth fighting, while 34% and 36%, respectively, think it has. On the other hand, the majority 56% of Republicans think the decade-long war has been worth fighting, while 37% think it has not.

Increasing opposition to the war among conservatives

In a January 2011 poll of conservatives, 66% of self-identified conservative voters and Tea Party supporters call for either a reduction of U.S. troop levels (the 39% plurality) or a complete withdrawal "as soon as possible" (27%). 24% think that the current levels of troops should be maintained. The majority 71% of conservative voters, including over two-thirds of Tea Party supporters, are worried that the war's cost to American taxpayers – $120 billion spent on the war in 2010 – will make it more difficult to reduce the U.S. deficit next year and balance the U.S. federal budget in the next decade. The poll for the Afghanistan Study Group was conducted January 4–10, 2011.

A USA Today / Gallup poll conducted January 14–16, 2011 also reported that, behind an 86% of Democrats and 72% of independents, there was now also 61% of self-identified conservatives calling for an accelerated withdrawal of U.S. troops.

In the Gallup poll conducted June 25–26, 2011, 50% of Republican voters generally favor the announced withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2014, while 43% opposed it.

In the CBS News / New York Times poll conducted June 24–28, 2011, 67% of Republican voters approve of the plan to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of summer 2012, and 75% of Republican voters want at least one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn by the end of summer 2012: the plurality 41% of Republican voters want more than one-third of U.S. troops withdrawn in this timeframe, 34% want about a third, while 18% thought it should be less than one-third.

Opposition of the public among NATO allies of the U.S.

See also: Opposition to the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

While over 2 out of 3 foreign troops in Afghanistan are American, troops from NATO allies of the U.S. also serve under U.S. command. Opposition to the war runs high among the United States' NATO allies in Afghanistan.

2008

In 2008, not one of the six NATO allies in the Pew Global Attitudes survey had majority support for keeping troops in Afghanistan, and five of the six had majorities wanting withdrawal as soon as possible. In 2009, not one of the seven NATO allies in the Pew Global Attitudes survey had majority support for continuing to keep military forces there, but all seven of the NATO allies in the survey had majority or strong plurality opposition to sending more troops.

2009

The June 2009 "Transatlantic Trends" survey of 13 NATO countries, also from an American policy think tank, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, further underlined the publics' opposition to the war in NATO countries involved with the U.S. in Afghanistan.

The majorities of the populations of all 12 of the NATO nations surveyed in Europe and Turkey want their military forces in Afghanistan to be reduced or completely withdrawn – United Kingdom (60%), France (51%), Germany (57%), Italy (55%), Netherlands (50%), Poland (68%), Portugal (52%), Spain (54%), Slovakia (61%), Bulgaria (72%), Romania (61%), Turkey (50%).

The majority 55% of West Europeans and the majority 69% of East Europeans want to reduce or remove their troops from Afghanistan, with complete troop removal called for by 51% of Poles, 50% of Bulgarians, 48% of Romanians, 41% of Britons, and 41% of Germans.

Despite pressure from the Obama administration to increase their troop levels in Afghanistan, the public is strongly opposed in all 12 of the NATO ally countries surveyed. Over 3 out of every 4 people, 77%, in the 12 NATO countries surveyed in the Europe Union and Turkey oppose sending any more troops to Afghanistan. Fewer than 1 in 5 people, 19%, in the 12 NATO countries supported sending more troops.

Level of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan

NATO member	% Support 2009	% Support 2010	% Support 2011
United States	30%	25%	6%
United Kingdom	11%	7%	3%
France	4%	4%	2%
Germany	7%	7%	4%
Italy	6%	4%	2%
Netherlands	4%	4%	5%
Poland	5%	2%	2%
Portugal	4%	2%	3%
Spain	7%	6%	3%
Slovakia	2%	3%	2%
Bulgaria	2%	2%	1%
Romania	5%	6%	2%
Turkey	14%	16%	12%

(Source: German Marshall Fund of the United States – Transatlantic Trends June 2009, 2010, and 2011 surveys)

The poll of the NATO countries, conducted in June 2009, about 2 months before the Afghan election, also reported that 56% of Americans were optimistic about stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan, whereas the majority 62% of people in the 12 NATO countries in Europe and Turkey were not.

In the 2009 Pew Global Attitudes Project survey, none of the seven NATO allies surveyed had majority support for keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan. Despite repeated American calls for their NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in all seven of the NATO ally countries surveyed: Germany (63% disapprove), France (62%), Poland (57%), Canada (55%), Britain (51%), Spain (50%), and Turkey (49%).

2010

In 2010, none of the six NATO allies in the Pew Global Attitudes survey had majority support for keeping troops in Afghanistan. The survey found instead that the majorities and pluralities of the public in 5 out of 6 NATO member countries want the NATO military forces to be removed from Afghanistan "as soon as possible". A 67% majority in Turkey, 58% majority in Germany, 52% majority in France, 49% plurality in Spain, 44% plurality in Poland, and 45% in the United Kingdom all want the NATO military forces to be removed from Afghanistan "as soon as possible".

The Transatlantic Trends June 2010 study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that pluralities all of the 12 NATO ally countries surveyed, and majorities in 11 out of 12 of them, want to withdraw all or some of their troops from Afghanistan.

For the 12 European NATO countries surveyed as a whole, 70% think their country should begin to withdraw troops immediately (36%) or in 2011 if conditions permit (36%). 23% think their troops should stay as long as it takes to "stabilize" Afghanistan. The majority 62% of the European NATO populations surveyed want a complete withdrawal of all of their troops (the 43% plurality) or a reduction of troops (19%). 28% would keep the troop numbers at their current levels. 6% would agree to send more troops to Afghanistan.

2011

The Transatlantic Trends June 2011 study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States found that majorities in the United States (66%) and in all 11 European NATO member countries surveyed – the United Kingdom (69%), Germany (70%), France (64%), Italy (65%), Poland (73%), Portugal (58%), Spain (57%), Netherlands (55%), Romania (67%), Bulgaria (63%), and Slovakia (64%) – want all or some troops withdrawn from Afghanistan. For all 11 European NATO countries taken as a whole, the majority 66% of Europeans in the NATO countries surveyed want all or some of their troops withdrawn from Afghanistan: the plurality 44% want all of their troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, another 22% want some of their troops to be withdrawn to reduce the number there. Less than one in three, 29%, support maintaining the current number of troops in Afghanistan, and 3% would support sending yet more troops.

In December 2010, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, acknowledged the opposition of the public in almost all countries:

Public opinion would be … in terms of majority, against their participation [in the war].

See also

• Afghan presidential election, 2009
• Bagram torture and prisoner abuse
• British forces casualties in Afghanistan
• Canadian Afghan detainee abuse scandal
• Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan
• Civil war in Afghanistan
• Civilian casualties of the war in Afghanistan (2001–present)
• Coalition casualties in Afghanistan
• Criticism of the War on Terrorism
• Foreign hostages in Afghanistan
• German Armed Forces casualties in Afghanistan
• Opposition to the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
• Protests against the invasion of Afghanistan
• War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

External links

• Rethink Afghanistan, a ground-breaking documentary focusing on key issues surrounding the war, available for viewing online in 6 parts.

Part 1: Troops  · Part 2: Pakistan  · Part 3: Cost of the War  · Part 4: Civilian Casualties  · Part 5: Women  · Part 6: Security

• Afghanistan by the Numbers – Measuring a War Gone to Hell by Tom Engelhardt, September 8, 2009
• Anand Gopal (2008-12-08). "Who Are the Taliban? The Afghan War Deciphered". Alternet. Archived from the original on 2010-02-17. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alternet.org%2Fworld%2F110447%3Fpage%3Dentire&date=2010-02-17. 
• The Afghan Victim Memorial Project
• Casualties in Afghanistan & Iraq
• Human Rights First; Getting to Ground Truth: Investigating U.S. Abuses in the “War on Terror.” (2004)
• Public opinion and the war in Afghanistan
• New Low for Afghanistan War: 47 Percent of Military Families Want Troops Brought Home November 24, 2010
• The Reality Page