Canadian Public Opinion Polls on Afghanistan

[The Bread Guy]

As QMI Agency followed the last Canadian combat troops out of Afghanistan last month, there was one question that seemed to get under the thick skin of even the toughest soldier.

In fact, after repeatedly being asked by media in the combat zone, it became a catch phrase among some combatants -- tossed about with shrugs and often rolled eyes.

The question wondered: "Was it worth it?"

Now, in the settling dust of Canada's combat exit from Afghanistan -- our soldiers now remain in logistical and training missions only -- an exclusive Sun Media national poll has found almost three in five Canadians doubt whether the sacrifice asked of our country was worthwhile.

Only 30% of respondents to the Leger Marketing survey felt it was.

As well, 58% of Canadians thought the mission could not be categorized as fully accomplished after we pulled out last month.

But pollster Dave Scholz cautions the results aren't a swipe at either the soldiers or their work in the war zone.

"You don't want soldiers coming back and looking at this as a Vietnam War type issue -- I don't think the survey says that," explains Scholz, a Leger Marketing executive vice-president.

He adds Canadian soldiers have received strong support from Canadians in past polls ....

Source:  QMI Media, 4 Aug 11 - a few more poll details downloadable here or attached.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

This has been the case for a long time. "I support the troops, just not the mission." Or "You guys shouldn't be there, but you're doing good stuff while you're there."

Afghanistan is given about as much due from the Canadian public as another thing going on in the background of their lives. A soundbite they heard after "Dancing With the Stars" or in the back page of a newspaper. We have been a military at war, not a country at war.

The fact that I have been referred to as a "Peacekeeper" by numerous affiliations not connected with the military shows this. I am not old enough to have served in any recent UN mission  and yet theres that "P" word everyone knows and loves to throw around when it's more convienent and paletable than soldier. Soldiers die and come home in flag draped caskets. Peacekeepers are noble and don't get hurt. :

I will take all these polls with a grain of salt. I know the sacrifices others have made and the difference we have made in Afghanistan; and believe me when I say my sons will too when the time comes.

Statistics from uninformed sources leads to flawed research after all.

Just my  :2c:

 

[Infanteer]

This is a natural result of a non-existential cabinet war.

There are some that will believe that if the physical security of the country is not directly threatened then any cost is too much.

I figure there are also some who feel it is good to wash the spears in the worlds badlands once in a while, as long as the expenditure doesn't seriously impact the homefront.

 

[RCDtpr]

This poll is no surprise.  We took all of our work and handed it to the Americans before we were finished.  The average citizen can see this and the poll reflects that.

 

[smoothrider]

This article is picking sides, especially in 2006 when we did not have the Conservative majority, and the liberal caucus still had something to say. Having said that Our mission to Afghanistan has been a great strategy because our military needs were constantly in the press and the news. As a result of Canada's involvement, we got the support needed to modernize the military faster than ever. I don't think it is the matter what Americans say about us when we head south of the border, but it is the matter showing the world that our specialized military of a few can do better than the other NATO countries.

These opinion polls don't say what type of people were picked for their study. Were those people experts in military engagement and strategies or were they just other Canadians who only shared anti-war opinions? It is hard to say; I believe, that's just my opinion, every statistical data that gets processed and wants to point to the Canadian Public, needs to follow strict conventional research methods. They need to include their sources, time of the study, population, number of experts, the population's supporting political parties, their method of statistical analysis, and their design and conclusion. Still with all those things said many of these type of polls don't stand a chance for systematic scrutiny because they are just opinions without any background analysis of the population for the study of that population. According to the conventional research methods, this type of study is the lowest credible type of study. Therefore, it should not be taken seriously.

 

[Infanteer]

Having said that Our mission to Afghanistan has been a great strategy because our military needs were constantly in the press and the news. As a result of Canada's involvement, we got the support needed to modernize the military faster than ever.

Unless I'm reading your post wrong, what you describe isn't strategy, it's policy. 

Are you saying that it was a good policy to send Canada's soldiers to fight simply to upgrade equipment?  Anytime a government needs to get some tanks, it has to offer some ramp ceremonies?

 

[Mainz]

Since the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan was stood up over 21 months ago, we can say that developing the Afghan forces is well on track. There are 33 countries, under NATO command, which are dedicated and committed to ensuring that Afghanistan’s security institutions (Army, Air Force, and Police) are self-sufficient, self-sustaining, and enduring.

Over the past two years, an additional 113,000 Afghan soldiers and police have been trained and are working with 130,000 NATO. In seven areas of Afghanistan, encompassing 20 percent of the population, Afghan Army and Police are already leading security efforts. Local militias are integrating into the formal security structure; commerce is returning; and schools are opening. GDP has increased from $170 under the Taliban to $1,000 per capita in 2010, almost all Afghans now have access to basic health services (only nine percent did in 2002), school enrollment increased from 900,000 (mainly boys) to almost seven million (37 percent girls), and women now serve in government. Most of the country is now connected via mobile phones and highways. The powerful force of social media is altering the landscape as over one million Afghans have internet access and over 215,000 have facebook accounts.

There are still untold challenges ahead but the force of 2011 has little resemblance to the one NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan began advising two years ago. Over the next several years, the force will develop key support forces such as logistics, human resources, and finance. Professionalizing the force is a key to creating enduring institutions and reducing Afghan reliance on ISAF for combat support. As Afghans assume the security lead, NTM-A’s focus shifts to training the trainer.

Any reference to the ‘Bear coming over the mountain’ would seem irresponsible and derisory. Those who take the time to become informed will discover the progress, the hope and the determination of the Afghan people. They are working successfully with hundreds of NTM-A advisors from around the globe. Together with international partners they are developing leaders, establishing enduring institutions, and creating a self sustainable, autonomous Afghan National Security Force. The progress is astounding. The mountains belong to the Afghan people, and with the help of the world community, the Afghans are reclaiming them.

http://www.facebook.com/TroopsInAfghanistan

 

[Flanker]

This is the only thing I agree with you about.

People don't understand what is really going on because they only see what the media let them see.

Do not forget this "people" is paying cash for this Afghanistan trip.
So I would be more respectful and avoid considering "people" as totally media brain-washed.
People do not want to pay for what they find insignificant for their lives. Period.
As you and all of us.

 

[Flanker]

gentlemen we all know the price of freedom and democracy is blood unfortunatly it is the blood of our finnest men and women

Sorry, what democracy are you talking about? Democracy in Afghanistan?
Are you beleiving also in unicorns?

 

[The Bread Guy]

.... from Angus Reid - highlights mine:

A majority of respondents disagree with extending the training mission beyond its 2014 deadline.

Most Canadians are in favour of their government’s decision to keep soldiers in Afghanistan to help train the local military, but many also believe this mission should not be extended beyond 2014, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,001 Canadian adults, 40 per cent of respondents believe Canada made a mistake in sending military forces to Afghanistan in 2002, while 36 per cent think Canada did the right thing.

The federal government’s decision to keep 950 soldiers in Afghanistan until 2014 in a strictly non-combat role to help train the Afghan military is endorsed by a majority of Canadians (54%), including two thirds of respondents in British Columbia and Alberta (66%).

However, about three-in-five respondents (58%) disagree with extending Canada’s non-combat role after 2014.

Across Canada, two thirds of respondents (65%) disagree with the assertion that Afghanistan will never again become a safe haven for international terrorism, and a similar proportion (69%) believe the war in Afghanistan was not worth the human and financial toll.

Quebecers are more likely to call the mission in Afghanistan a mistake (52%), to disagree with an extension of Canada’s non-combat role (67%), and to state that the war was not worth the human and financial toll (77%).

(....)

Methodology: From January 27 to January 28, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,001 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

 

[Edward Campbell]

I wonder if the Western "public" understands what the Saudi funded Taliban did to Afghanistan and what similar groups want to do in Muslim states from Morocco to Malaysia ...

Women walking in the street in Kabul, Afghanistan, 1970s
Source: http://www.demoqrateya.eu/

 

[ModlrMike]

I wonder if the Western "public" understands what the Saudi funded Taliban did to Afghanistan and what similar groups want to do in Muslim states from Morocco to Malaysia ...

Even if they do understand, they don't care. We live in an era of instant gratification. That our mission has taken 10 years goes against the grain and has well passed the average attention span. No amount of explaining will instill the logical conclusion that 30 years of warfare and destruction will take longer than 30 days to repair. We were in the Balkans for 10 years to repair what was essentially 4 years of conflict. With a 2.5:1 ratio applied to Afghanistan, it would take 75 years to make the same inroads. Even then, the Balkans start position for us was better than Afghanistan.

 

[fraserdw]

That picture is truly amazing especially when you consider that it could be Iran in 70s or Lebannon in the 60s.  What a shame....

 

[Edward Campbell]

That picture is truly amazing especially when you consider that it could be Iran in 70s or Lebannon in the 60s.  What a shame....

That's what passed through my mind. I recall the Middle East and North Africa in the 1970s and even as late as the 1990s - while there were always some women in veils, etc, the picture was the norm in many (most?) places (not Saudi Arabia, however).

 

[The Bread Guy]

Some of the latest numbers as Canada's flag comes down - more details in the attached ....

Canadians Agree Afghanistan Mission Has Made a Difference, but Unsure About Lasting Success

According to Vice-President Megan Tam “With the Canadian mission in Afghanistan drawing to a close, a majority of Canadians are reserving judgment on whether they would call the mission a success , suggesting they are waiting to see whether there is a lasting legacy from the training Canada has provided. It’s unclear though, at which point Canadians will make that determination, or how they will determine the success of the mission. That being said, the vast majority feel that the Canadian presence in the country has made at least a small difference.”

The majority of Canadians prefer Canada’s role in international conflicts be one of peacekeeping rather than military engagement. Nationally, 74% express this view. The remainder is split between playing a financial role to allies (8%) and providing a military role in these conflicts (7%). Meanwhile, a small number (5%) prefer Canada offer no support at all to these conflicts.

Just over one half (58%) of Canadians recognize that Canada is still involved in a mission in Afghanistan.

For a majority of those surveyed, it is too soon to call the mission a success or a failure. Indeed, two in three hold this view (66%). The remainder is more apt to consider it a failure (17%) versus a success (11%). Success or failure of the mission varies across the following:

    Ontarians are more likely Atlantic Canadians, residents of Quebec, and British Columbians to feel the mission in Afghanistan has been a success.
    Men are more likely than women to feel the mission has been a failure.
    Women are more likely than men to feel it’s too soon to tell whether the mission has been a success.
   
Harris/Decima and Canadian Press have been asking Canadians about their perceptions of the mission in Afghanistan since 2008. An analysis of the results reveals that in 2014, Canadians have become more reluctant to pass judgment on the success or failure of the mission. In 2011, the Canadian mission’s mandate in Afghanistan shifted from a combat role to a training role and from that point on, the data suggests that Canadians have adopted more of a “wait-and-see” view on rating the level of success of the mission. While Canada’s role had been one involving more active military engagement, our surveys had found a higher proportion of Canadians feeling the mission was a failure than we are seeing in today’s opinion environment. The shift from combat to training appears to have changed the lens and timeline with which Canadians judge the success of the mission ....

Harris/Decima, 12 Dec 14