36 per cent support keeping troops in Afghanistan through 2011: poll

[GAP]

I notice they don't give the questions asked, nor the context they were asked in....I wonder why the CBC polling firms differ from the others?

36 per cent support keeping troops in Afghanistan through 2011: poll
Firm finds limited enthusiasm for mission among 1,004 Canadians
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 | 12:58 AM ET CBC News
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An online poll done last week suggests that only 36 per cent of Canadians agree with the decision to extend Canada's military mission in Afghanistan through 2011, a Vancouver-based polling firm says.

That is down from 41 per cent in a similar poll done in May, Angus Reid Strategies said in a statement issued Monday.

Parliament approved a motion in March to extend the Afghanistan mission from 2009 to 2011 if NATO allies provide reinforcements and the government secures the use of transport helicopters and surveillance drones.

In the latest poll, 58 per cent disagreed with the decision, up from 54 per cent in May, the firm said. Both times, about six per cent were not sure.

Because of the margin of error, it was not clear whether the figures represented a significant shift in opinion.

The latest poll was conducted July 2 and 3 through an online questionnaire answered by 1,004 adult members of a panel recruited for market surveys and political polls. They are eligible for prizes or cash payments in some cases. It was not clear any were paid in connection with this poll.

The 1,004 were selected at random and their answers were statistically weighted to reflect education, age, gender and regional patterns of the Canadian population, the firm said. The results of such a poll should be accurate 19 times out of 20 within a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points in either direction, Angus Reid said.

A bare majority of men (51 per cent) tended to support keeping the troops in Afghanistan, while women (69 per cent) were against it, the firm said.

Eighty-seven Canadian soldiers have been killed in the Afghanistan mission since 2002.
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[RCDtpr]

I notice the poll was done by a Vancouver based firm.  Wonder how many non-BC residents they asked for this?  Reason I wonder is that province seems to have a larger proportiom of ahem...."Peace supporters" than other parts of the country.

 

[sigtech]

Good Point poll the maritimes or Ontario and let's see the numbers. It is like doing a poll on here if we should say , you know most would say yes

 

[a_majoor]

The key year is actually 2015, when the six million plus Afghan children who started going to school in @ 2005 begin graduating and can supply the basis of the educated technical staff needed to run a modern society. Until educated young (and old!) Afghans come out of the pipeline, ISAF must continue the holding action. Once there are enough trained and skilled people to do all the work that needs to be done, then our job is finished and we can begin a phased withdrawl.

I wonder if the poll numbers would change once that idea was conveyed to the respondents?