Canadian Public Opinion Polls on Afghanistan

[Nauticus]

Yes they have that right.....and like I told you... don't presume to lecture me. You haven't heard a word I've said. Go guard a shopping mall. I notice by your own profile you are applying to join. Good. In the meantime, please take note of our experience and tours. Have a nice day.

You'll find that I have joined, I have not updated my profile. Additionally, don't insult my previous job please.

Back on topic.

 

[Franko]

You'll find that I have joined, I have not updated my profile. Additionally, don't insult my previous job please.

Back on topic.

Thanks for doing moderation on this site for us. Oh wait, you aren't a mod.

Back on topic troops or this one will be locked.

The Army.ca Staff

 

[The Bread Guy]

Some new numbers from Angus Reid (full poll in .pdf here).....

As you may know, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that Canada would withdraw the bulk of the troops currently deployed in Afghanistan in 2011. Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view?

The bulk of the troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan before 2011 .................53%
The bulk of the troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2011 as scheduled ... 33%
The bulk of the troops should remain in Afghanistan after 2011 - 7%
Not sure - 8%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,006 Canadian adults, conducted on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Other highlights:
- 19% think the Afghan government will be able to take care of its own security needs without assistance from international troops in 2011
- 56% disagree with the extension of the mission until 2011
- 35% (+5) think the Harper government has effectively explained the mission in Afghanistan
- 42% (+8) would you agree with the Canadian government actively negotiating with the Taliban ....

 

[pbi]

Interesting to see that 42% of Canadians are so ignorant of the political realities of the situation in Afgh that they think it is the place of the Govt of Cda to negotiate with the Taliban. On what grounds would we, a foreign power, do that? The question of whether or not there is to be political negotiation with any party in Afgh has to be the decision of the Kabul govt or we are making a mockery of the stated purpose of the international presence in Afgh. Besides that, what productive political response has the Taleban (or any insurgent group) provided to the GoIRA or to the international community? What is their political platform, other than "foreigners out, Kharzai dead, Taleban in charge"? What these wishful and no doubt-well intentioned Canadians miss is that any meaningful negotiation requires two parties who actually want to reach a reasonable solution.

What really scares me about all this is that our country may be gradually losing its backbone for standing up to dangerous, violent and heavily armed bad people. In my opinion, that "standing up" is our REAL military tradition, not some phoney warm and fuzzy vision of benign, low-risk peacekeeping. Will we be ready to act if there's another Rwanda, or Somalia, or Darfur, or some crisis like that? Or will we hide at home and wait till its safe so we can go in  and make nice photo ops while others do the dirty work?

Cheers

pbi

 

[The Bread Guy]

Highlights mine....

Canadians Want Quicker End to Afghan Mission
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research, 4 Jan 09
News release - Complete poll (.pdf)

Many adults in Canada want their government to end its current military deployment in Afghanistan before the scheduled departure date, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies released by the Toronto Star. 53 per cent of respondents believe the bulk of Canadian troops in Afghanistan should be withdrawn before 2011.

Conversely, 30 per cent of respondents would remove most soldiers in 2011, while eight per cent would retain Canadian troops in Afghanistan after 2011.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

At least 1,037 soldiers—including 106 Canadians—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper formed a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

In May 2006, the House of Commons extended Canada’s mission in Afghanistan until February 2009. In March 2008, the House of Commons voted 198-77 to prolong the military deployment until the end of 2011. The Conservative and Liberal parties supported the motion, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois opposed it. In September, Harper assured that there would be no new extension of the mission.

A new presidential election is expected to take place in Afghanistan in 2009. On Dec. 27, Canadian defence minister Peter MacKay predicted a tougher year for soldiers, saying, "[The Taliban] are going to try to disrupt this election, and inevitably they will step up their violence against their own citizens and against coalition forces. So that’s one explanation for a spike that will likely come."

As you may know, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that Canada would withdraw the bulk of the troops currently deployed in Afghanistan in 2011. Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view?
 
Nov. 2008/Dec. 2008

The bulk of the troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan before 2011
53%/53%

The bulk of the troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2011 as scheduled
30%/33%

The bulk of the troops should remain in Afghanistan after 2011
8%/7%

Not sure
8%/8%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,004 Canadian adults, conducted on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

 

[TCBF]

- I see an issue with the 'intellectual future' of our nation dissuading their fellow students from joining up because they don't like this mission.  When - not if - they eventually find a mission they like, it will be too late. The young Einsteins we need to munch such delicate missions having been scared away from the recruiting centers by the ComSymp protesters, the only remaining types are like you and me.  As for me, a semi-literate Grade Two: Page Four, swamp monkey from the NWO (North-Western Ontario), I am lonnnnnnggggggg in the tooth and but a few short years from the mandatory ass-chillin' in a rocking chair on the front porch of a trailer in the desert.  Twelve bore on my knees. Old yaller dog.  Some chickens.  Range card by every window...

- So, who will we have for a future feel-good Pinko mission? A bunch of Canadian Afghantsi  who say  "WTF?  This is BOGUS! I didn't join for this!" and waltz out the door with their experience?  Good luck singing THAT song...

 

[Greymatters]

Some new numbers from Angus Reid (full poll in .pdf here).....

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/32232/canadians_would_leave_afghanistan_before_2011
19% think the Afghan government will be able to take care of its own security needs without assistance from international troops in 2011
56% disagree with the extension of the mission until 2011
35% (+5) think the Harper government has effectively explained the mission in Afghanistan
42% (+8) would you agree with the Canadian government actively negotiating with the Taliban

Considering this very site has proven how easy it is to manipulate the results of on-line polls, I find it surprising that this poll is given much credibility in the first place.

The questions themselves are hokey as well. 

How is that the average canadian is expected to be knowledgable enough to know whether a foreign government can survive on its own or not?  Is there some secret self-educating online course out there Ive never heard of on this subject? This question should have a Part 2 follow-up:
"What credentials do you possess to support your judgement?"
a) read the newspapers every day
b) university education, special interest group or anti-war group
c) went on holiday there once or visited as part of political delegation
d) worked there within the last two years
e) was born there and later moved to Canada 
f) other (please specify) _______________________

Same with the next question, there should be a Part 2 detailing why they think the mission should end.
"I disagree with the extension of the mission until 2011 because..."
a) Im opposed to any form of fighting
b) I belong to a group that protests fascist colonization of foreign countries
c) I dont like Harper
d) I dont like the military
e) politicians can solve this more quickly and successfully. 
f) other (please specify) _______________________

I would especially love to see answers as to why we should even think of negotiating with the Taliban:
"Canada should negotiate peace with the Taliban because..."
a) Because the Taliban is a legitimate political party well-known for its honesty and willingness to deal fairly.
b) Because they are really a nice bunch of guys who have been the victim of bad publicity.
c) Because they only make bombs and behead people as part of protecting themselves from foreign oppression.
d) Because I dont like Harper or the military.
e) Because Im pretty sure there's some legal organization out there who can take them to court and give them a really big punitive fine if they break any agreement.
f) other (please specify) _______________________

Sarcasm intended, bias unavoidable....

 

[Oil Can]

Freedom doesn't come free.

 

[The Bread Guy]

More of the latest from Angus Reid (.pdf attached):

Many adults in Canada believe their government should cease its military deployment in Afghanistan sooner than scheduled, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 48 per cent of respondents want the bulk of Canadian troops in Afghanistan to be removed before 2011.  Conversely, 35 per cent of respondents would withdraw most soldiers in 2011, while eight per cent would keep Canadian troops in Afghanistan after 2011 ....

Methodology: Online interviews with 1,006 Canadian adults, conducted on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Afstan: The right poll question, according to Johnathon Narvey at his National Post blog (more links in original):

Jonathon Narvey: Canadians agree more than they disagree on Afghanistan
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/04/23/jonathon-narvey-canadians-agree-more-than-they-disagree-on-afghanistan.aspx

In light of polls that make me doubt whether many of my fellow Canadians truly understand what’s at stake in Afghanistan, I’d like to go over a few assumptions I have about my fellow citizens.

If you ask Canadians whether respect for human rights ought to be universal, everyone will agree.

If you ask them whether Canadians ought to care much about people who live beyond our borders, the vast majority will agree that we should (and the slim minority who oppose this can go rot).

If you ask them whether we should surrender to thugs who throw acid in the faces of schoolgirls, shoot humanitarian workers with automatic weapons, and use children as bomb delivery units, only a few cowardly and soulless Canucks would dare to say “aye” to that.

If you ask Canadians whether we should allow hundreds of thousands of people, or even millions, to fall victim to such thugs and the violence they bring, when as a rich and developed nation we have the capacity to stop this evil, I cannot believe that most would agree to that.

If you ask under what circumstances Canadians might use their military to fight such threats far beyond our borders, certainly most would agree that it must be a multilateral, international effort given sanction by the United Nations.

When it comes to Afghanistan, I think most Canadians support this mission. The pollsters just need to start asking the right questions.

I was given the opportunity to answer some questions for CNN on the issue of Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan from the perspective of the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee. The essence of my remarks: “We’re for a robust involvement, and if [Afghanistan] is going to get back on its feet after decades of war, it’s only going to do so with huge international involvement. So, more, not less.”

See the full story at In Canada, Afghanistan not ‘forgotten’

National Post

Vancouver blogger Jonathon Narvey writes about current affairs, politics,media trends and life on Canada's West Coast

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Torch post dealing with St. Steve Staples:

Guess what? Ceasefire.ca readers oppose Afghan mission
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2009/04/guess-what-ceasefireca-readers-oppose.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[OldSolduer]

I have to ask a question here:

What agenda does Stephen Staples have? Why does he and others insist we negotiate with thugs, terrorists, murderers and those that would deny basic human rights? Of course their answer would be "Well the USA are all those things too"
I think someone tried that negotiation thing with Hitler right before WWII. That didn't work out well at all did it?

You can't negotiate with thugs and murderers. Period.

 

[Franko]

OS,

These people live in a cocoon of their own self righteousness and yell on their soap boxes from the safety of their home soil.

They have no context nor idea of what we're doing there nor are they interested in hearing the truth of the mission.

I, along with many other people, have written off Mr Staples' "expertise" on the military, specifically the Afghan mission, as tripe.

I've also spoken to many WW2/ Korean vets about the mission and the rantings of Mr Staples. Lets just say that they do not appreciate his motives and are at a loss for words.

Regards

 

[The Bread Guy]

Link to news release here, with .pdf of news release attached in case link doesn't work.  Also, .pdf of full poll available here.

Half of adults in Canada believe their country’s commitment to the mission in Afghanistan should draw to a close before the scheduled end date, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 51 per cent of respondents would withdraw the bulk of the troops before 2011.

Conversely, 33 per cent of respondents would remove most soldiers in 2011, while seven per cent would keep Canadian troops in Afghanistan after 2011.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

At least 1,131 soldiers—including 118 Canadians—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper formed a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

In May 2006, the House of Commons extended Canada’s mission in Afghanistan until February 2009. In March 2008, the House of Commons voted 198-77 to prolong the military deployment until the end of 2011. The Conservative and Liberal parties supported the motion, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois opposed it. In September 2008, Harper assured that there would be no new extension of the mission.

Yesterday, Harper visited Canadian troops in Afghanistan, and declared: "We did not come as permanent occupiers. (...) We’re moving to a mission with better defined civilian objectives. That really is where the future of the mission is going."

Polling Data

As you may know, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that Canada would withdraw the bulk of the troops currently deployed in Afghanistan in 2011. Which of these statements comes closest to your own point of view?

The bulk of the troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan before 2011
May 2009 - 51%
Feb. 2009 - 48%
Dec. 2008 - 53%

The bulk of the troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2011 as scheduled
May 2009 - 33%
Feb. 2009 - 35%
Dec. 2008 - 30%

The bulk of the troops should remain in Afghanistan after 2011
May 2009 - 7%
Feb. 2009 - 7%
Dec. 2008 - 8%

Not sure
May 2009 - 9%
Feb. 2009 - 10%
Dec. 2008 - 8%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,009 Canadian adults, conducted on Apr. 30 and May 1, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

 

[aquasaurus]

...
Conversely, 30 per cent of respondents would remove most soldiers in 2011, while eight per cent would retain Canadian troops in Afghanistan after 2011.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
...

I get a kick out of the part where the article simply says that bin Laden is the "prime suspect" in the 9/11 attacks. Are there other suspects? Or are the majority of Canadian journalists so biased when they create and present these polls that they want to imply that, you know, maybe it was really a conspiracy by Bush or something, and we're just trying to pin it on innocent bin Laden...

The Canadian public (or perhaps, more correctly, the majority of the Canadian press) needs to get over the fact that there are real, honest-to-goodness bad people in the world who can only be dealt with using real fire and brimstone military power. Most Canadians' only experience with "bad people" is when someone cuts in front of them in the line at Starbucks.

 

[fuzzy806]

Does anyone know if these polls have been offered to members of our forces? I suspect they may find a drastic difference in the results, if they bothered to ask "those who know". I personally am not in the "those who know" yet, I start my basic in a little under two months; However, personally I feel we should remain in Afghanistan until we have completed what we went in to do. If anyone knows of such a poll, I would be very interested in reviewing it's results.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

We found in the past that people who expressed strong opinions that support the military and our involvement in Afghanistan were hung up on in the middle of the survey.  Can't have honest opinions screwing up a poll with an agenda. 
Such a survey of the CF would likely see massive support to the mission, however the lefties would just say that's because we are just a bunch of mongers in need of a war. 
Plus, it's just doing our job.  Our opinion sort of doesn't matter.  Hell, go overseas.  They you'll see your opinion REALLY doesn't matter. 

 

[Rinker]

I should do a poll of my own ;D

 

[Edward Campbell]

It appears that Canadians, everywhere, are, finally, tired of the mission.

This report on an Ekos poll is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from the CBC website:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/07/15/ekos-afghanistan-mission-support015.html

54% of Canadians oppose Afghan mission: EKOS poll

Last Updated: Thursday, July 16, 2009

A slim majority of Canadians oppose Canada's participation in the ongoing war in Afghanistan, with the strongest opposition coming from Quebec, an EKOS poll suggests.

The poll, commissioned for CBC and released Thursday, asked: "Do you support or oppose Canadian military participation in Afghanistan?"

Nationally, 54 per cent said they opposed it, while 34 per cent said they supported it, according to the poll. Twelve per cent were undecided.

Opposition was decisive in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, while Western Canada had a narrower gap between those who support the mission and those who oppose it, EKOS found.

The survey suggests the strongest opposition exists in Quebec, with 73 per cent of those polled saying they didn't support Canada's participation. Fifteen per cent offered their support.

Alberta had the strongest support for the mission, at 42 per cent, while 45 per cent were opposed, the poll suggested. In British Columbia, opposition was at 49 per cent while 40 per cent offered support.

The sample size for Saskatchewan/Manitoba was considered too small to be conclusive.

Opposition was very high among women across the country, with 60 per cent saying Canada should not be involved in Afghanistan and 27 per cent saying it should.

When it comes to political leanings and support for the mission, Conservative voters were on top with 51 per cent saying Canada should be in Afghanistan. Liberal voters were second with 31 per cent, and Green voters were at 26 per cent.

Twenty per cent of NDP voters said they supported participating in the mission, while 11 per cent of Bloc Québécois voters did.

As EKOS was conducting the poll, Britain announced eight of its soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan during a 24-hour period, one of the worst days for British forces since the war started.

Canada's direction

'All things considered, would you say the country is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction?'

• Right direction: 55%
• Wrong direction: 34%
• Don't know: 11%

Source: EKOS

When Canada first sent soldiers to Afghanistan in 2002, public opposition to the mission hovered around 20 per cent, according to EKOS tracking data.

Since the mission started, Canada has lost 124 Canadian soldiers, two aid workers and one diplomat.

EKOS conducted the poll between July 8 and 14, 2009, surveying 2,713 Canadians from across the country over the age of 18. It's the seventh in a series of weekly polls conducted by EKOS and released by CBC News.

The margin of error for a survey of this size is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

I suspect there is, outside of Québec, very little (say 10-20%) opposition based on “principle.” My guess is that Canadians are, simply, bored; they are tired of something that drags on, year after year, for seven years with no reported “victories.”

 

[OldSolduer]

This is the nature of counter-insurgency. It takes time, patience and a great deal of effort. It seems if we do not have a solution in an hour, we grow bored and change the channel on the TV.
Maybe its a national case of ADHD.