Most Americans oppose a Presidential pardon for Manning, while Democrats are more supportive of Presidential pardons in general.
In the wake of the Manning trial President Obama has faced calls from WikiLeaks supporters to give a Presidential pardon to Pfc. Manning, who was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison for illegally releasing hundreds of thousands of documents to the public. It is highly unlikely that Manning will receive a pardon - not only because the Obama administration has a history of treating leakers harshly, but also because Obama has issued significantly fewer pardons than his predecessors.
The latest research from YouGov shows that very few Americans want a Presidential pardon for Manning, with only 17% supporting it and 54% opposing it. Republicans are much less likely to support a pardon with only 9% supporting it but even among Democrats 23% support a pardon while a majority (52%) oppose one.
In general Americans are generally ambivalent on whether the President should be able to issue pardons for convicted criminals, with 42% supporting the power and 36% opposing it. Presidential pardons are much more popular among Democrats (54%) than among Republicans (34%). Independents are split, with 37% supporting pardons and 36% opposing pardons in principle.
Support for giving Manning a pardon is highest among under-30s, with 30% wanting him to be pardoned while 29% oppose a pardon.
Full results can be found here.
Image: Getty.
