With the United States still actively engaged in what many have described as an all-out guerrilla war in Iraq, as well as a major military operation in Afghanistan, President Bush and his advisers face a difficult choice on how to address the situation in Liberia. Last week, the administration sent military ships to the waters off the Liberian coast, and agreed to help fund the process of moving regional peacekeepers into Liberia, but stopped short of direct U.S. military participation in a peacekeeping force.
A July 25-27 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll* assessed public sentiment on this issue, asking Americans how closely they are following the situation in Liberia, and what they think about potential U.S. involvement in a peacekeeping force in the West African country.
Who's Paying Attention?
Nearly half of Americans (46%) say they have followed the news about Liberia very or somewhat closely, while 54% say they have not followed it too closely or have not followed it at all. These numbers are consistent with the results of the initial survey Gallup conducted on this topic in early July, although there has been a slight uptick in the percentage saying they are following the news very closely.
Gender and age are significant variables in the amount of attention people are paying to the situation in Liberia. Men are more likely than women to say they are following it very or somewhat closely, 54% to 39%. The youngest Americans are the least likely to say they are following the situation, as just 28% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are following it very or somewhat closely. That percentage increases to 42% among 30- to 49-year-olds and 58% among those aged 50 and older.
Education is also a factor in how closely one follows the news about Liberia. A majority of those with a postgraduate education (67%) say they are following the events very or somewhat closely, as are roughly half of those with a college degree (53%). About 4 in 10 of those who have a high school education or less (39%) are following the events very or somewhat closely.
Majority Favors U.S. Involvement
A little more than 6 in 10 Americans (63%) favor the presence of U.S. ground troops (along with troops from other countries) in an international peacekeeping force in Liberia. On the other side, 30% oppose such involvement. The recent survey numbers show a slight increase in the percentage favoring the idea compared to early July.
Men are more likely than women to favor the presence of U.S. ground troops, 70% to 57%. Also, 68% of Republicans favor the U.S. military being a part of the peacekeeping force in Liberia, compared to 60% of Democrats.
The Relationship Between Awareness and Opinion
As with many policy or news-related topics, level of awareness about this issue is related to one's opinion on it. In the case of Liberia, those who have been following the situation closely are more likely to favor the United States being involved in a peacekeeping force. Specifically, 72% of those who have been following very or somewhat closely favor the idea, compared to 57% who follow the situation not too closely or not at all. It is unclear whether attention to news of Liberia creates support for intervention, or whether concern about the situation there generates heightened attention to news on the topic.
Bottom Line
Many variables -- both foreign and domestic -- complicate the civil unrest in Liberia. But public opinion on the topic is fairly clear. A majority of Americans favor the United States being involved in a peacekeeping capacity, while roughly a third of Americans do not.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,006 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 25-27, 2003. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
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