Poll: Support for Afghanistan withdrawal plummets as Taliban seize control
The Morning Consult/POLITICO poll showed support dropping 20 percentage points since April.
Support for the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan dropped 20 percentage points from April to August as the Taliban takeover of the country accelerated, according to a Morning Consult/POLITICO poll.
The poll, conducted from Aug. 13-16 among a sample of 1,999 registered voters, indicated that just 25 percent of American voters think the withdrawal from Afghanistan is going well. Just 49 percent of voters continued to support the withdrawal, down from 69 percent in April.
The results reflect the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and a rapid Taliban takeover. Now, amid the U.S. withdrawal from the country, people are crowding the Kabul airport and trying to flee the country. The events in Afghanistan’s capital city have drawn sharp criticism from both sides of the aisle about President Joe Biden’s handling of the withdrawal to end 20 years of military involvement in the country.
Support for withdrawal remained at a partisan divide in the poll, with 69 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of Republicans supporting it. Still, just 38 percent of Democrats and 14 percent of Republicans reported that the withdrawal is going well.
When asked whether the U.S. should still withdraw its military presence if this would create an opportunity for terrorist groups like al Qaeda to establish operations in Afghanistan, voters were less supportive. Just 35 percent of participants said the American military should withdraw in this case, with 48 percent saying it should not. This highlights the fear of terrorism coming from the country, as U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan began following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Of the voters surveyed, 38 percent said the U.S. should still withdraw if the Taliban regains control of most of Afghanistan. Forty-five percent of voters said the U.S. should probably or definitely not withdraw, a larger share than those who generally opposed the decision to withdraw.