GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
LONDON – As Prime Minister Tony Blair prepares to meet with President George W. Bush, a new Daily Telegraph/Gallup poll examines the attitudes of the British public toward the prospect of military action in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Britain at War?
When asked if they felt that Britain is now involved in the equivalent of a war against international terrorists and their allies, two-thirds of respondents agreed (67%). Fully two-thirds (70%) of Britons polled on Sep. 17-18 said that the United States and its allies should be prepared to take military action against countries believed to be giving aid and comfort to terrorists associated with last week's attacks. Nearly half said they would favor such action even if it meant that substantial numbers of British troops would run the risk of being killed or wounded (48%) or that there would be substantial civilian casualties in countries like Afghanistan (47%).
Although roughly a quarter of those polled said that Britain should support the Americans "wholeheartedly and without reservations" (23%), the vast majority (71%) said that support should be given only if Britain agrees with whatever action America finally decides to take. Only 4% said that Britain should distance itself from America and take no part in any military or similar actions by the United States.
While nearly a quarter (23%) of Americans said the United States and its allies should take immediate military action even if the identity of those responsible remained unclear, only 13% of the British public backed this approach. Fully 82% of the British public said such action should only be taken after the identity of the perpetrators was clearly established, even if this process took several months to accomplish. Even in the United States, Gallup found a significant majority (62%) of Americans favored making the timing of a unilateral American military response contingent upon a clear identification of those responsible for the attacks.
Prospect of a Wider Conflict
More than three-quarters of respondents (78%) said they believed that any action taken against the terrorists and their allies would result in a wider conflict between the Western world and the Islamic world.
Action in Britain Against Terrorist Supporters
The vast majority of respondents (93%) said anyone in Britain aiding and abetting the terrorists should be arrested and interned. Strong support for this action was found even among respondents who thought that military action should not be taken (88%).
Fear of Terrorism Affecting You or Your Family
A comparison of American and British responses indicates that citizens of these two nations share a high level of concern over the possibility of being personally affected by terrorism. More than half (57%) of all British respondents said that they are "very" or "somewhat" concerned that they or someone in their family will become a victim of a terrorist attack, as did a majority of Americans (51%).
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews conducted by the Gallup U.K. poll for the Daily Telegraph with 606 respondents, aged 18+ from across Great Britain, conducted Sep. 17-18, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
ASKED OF TOTAL SAMPLE:Should the United States and its allies, or should they not, be prepared to take military action against countries believed to be giving aid and comfort to last week's terrorists?
|
Should |
70% |
|
Should not |
20% |
|
Don't know/Refused |
10% |
ASKED ONLY OF THOSE WHO SAY "SHOULD":Would you or would you not still support military action against such countries even if it led to a substantial number of civilian casualties in countries like Afghanistan?
|
Would still support |
67% |
(47% of full sample) |
|
Would not support |
26% |
(18% of full sample) |
|
Don't know/Refused |
7% |
(5% of full sample) |
ASKED ONLY OF THOSE WHO SAY "SHOULD":Would you or would you not still support military action against such countries even if substantial numbers of British troops were to run the risk of being killed or wounded?
|
Would still support |
68% |
(48% of full sample) |
|
Would not support |
26% |
(18% of full sample) |
|
Don't know/Refused |
6% |
(4% of full sample) |
ALL REMAINING QUESTIONS ASKED OF TOTAL SAMPLE
Which of these statements comes closest to your own view?
|
We should support the Americans but only if we agree with whatever actions they finally decide to take |
71% |
|
We should support the Americans wholeheartedly and without reservations |
23% |
|
We should distance ourselves from the Americans and take no part in any military or similar actions by the US |
4% |
It is said that there are in this country a considerable number of people who are aiding and abetting the terrorists. Do you or do you not believe that any such people should be arrested and interned?
|
Yes - do believe people should be arrested and interned |
93% |
|
No - do not believe people should be arrested and interned |
4% |
|
Don't know/Refused |
3% |
So far as you know, would any military action taken against the terrorists and their allies result in a wider conflict between the Western world and the Islamic world, or would it not do so?
|
Yes - it would |
78% |
|
No - it would not |
14% |
|
Don't know/Refused |
8% |
How worried are you that you or someone in your family will become a victim of a terrorist attack? Would you say…?
|
Great Britain |
United States |
|
|
Very worried |
24% |
18% |
|
Somewhat worried |
33% |
33% |
|
Not too worried |
27% |
35% |
|
Not worried at all |
14% |
13% |
|
Don't know/Refused |
2% |
1% |
Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
|
Great Britain |
United States* |
|
|
The United States and its allies should take military action only against the terrorist organizations responsible for the attacks on the United States, even if it takes months to clearly identify them. |
82% |
62% |
|
The United States and its allies should take action immediately against known terrorist organizations, even if it is unclear which terrorists are responsible for the attacks. |
13% |
23% |
|
The United States and its allies should not conduct military action in response to the attacks last week. |
3% |
10% |
|
Don't know/Refused |
2% |
5% |
(*NB U.S. wording excluded reference to allied involvement in any action)
It is being said that, whether we like it or not, we are now involved in a war against international terrorists and their allies Do you personally think we are involved in the equivalent of a war or not?
|
Yes - we are |
67% |
|
No - we are not |
30% |
|
Don't know/Refused |
3% |
