President Obama’s announcement that he would bring all U.S. troops home from Iraq before the end of the year is one that pleases most Americans—and in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, it has helped raise his approval rating on his handling of Iraq.
This week, 46% of Americans approve of the way President Obama is handling the war in Iraq — up eight points in a week. 42% disapprove, down eight points since last week. For more than a year, the number disapproving has been higher than the number approving.
Six of ten Americans support the President’s decision to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq — just 17% oppose it. Republicans are less sure about this decision: 42% of them support it, 40% do not.
However, Americans remain skeptical about Iraq’s future. Almost half don’t expect it will ever become a stable democracy. Only 28% think it will, and most of those expect it will take a long time. Both Republicans and Democrats express pessimism about Iraq’s future, though Democrats are a little less so.
Despite the overwhelming support for the President’s action in Iraq, he gets little improvement when it comes to his overall approval. After all, fewer than 1% of Americans describe the war in Iraq as their most important issue. This week, only 42% approve of how President Obama is handling his job overall, not much differ- ent from his overall approval ratings in the last few months.
Economist/YouGov poll archives can found here.
Photo source: Press Association
