The survey reveals 60% of participants do not believe the war was worth fighting.
The Associated Press, in cooperation with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, NORC, published a survey they conducted with over 1,100 adults from the fifty states and Washington D.C. The study focused on Americans’ views of the two-decade-long war and its aftermath. Largely, this data was collected online rather than by telephone interview.
The keystone of the survey asks how successful the U.S. was in accomplishing its objectives during the war in Afghanistan. The category that Americans viewed as the most successful was apprehending or killing people in Afghanistan responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. However, that was still under half of the agreed participants (46%). Under the same umbrella of American foreign policy and its success, the responders said the U.S. was largely unsuccessful in advancing educational and occupational opportunities for girls and women (75% replied unsuccessful or neither successful nor unsuccessful) in Afghanistan. Additionally, 75% of respondents said the U.S. did not eliminate the threat of terrorists from seeking shelter in the country and 81% of respondents said the efforts to build an Afghan government were fruitless.
The United States formally withdrew troops in August 2021. Many Americans have heard news out of Afghanistan regarding the withdrawal and its aftermath. Nearly 90% of Americans report hearing at least a little news regarding the withdrawal. Ninety-four percent of respondents reported hearing of the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls. Eighty-four percent of respondents reported hearing about the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan. Nearly a quarter of all respondents indicated they knew a lot about the three questions mentioned above, but only 17% of those surveyed heard about the Taliban’s treatment of Afghans who cooperated with the U.S. during the 20-year war.
Another question posed by the surveyors asked respondents to describe the international relationship between the two countries. The survey also grouped Iran in this question as well.
Despite the view that the American foreign policy goal was not achieved in the war, some still feel as though we must act in Afghanistan. The poll also asked Americans to rank how important things such as eliminating the likelihood of terrorists hiding in Afghanistan (44%) and advancing the rights of women and girls (40%).
The survey went on to ask about a broader foreign policy question, how much should we be involved globally? Those more likely to advocate global involvement also viewed the war as more worthwhile. There is not a consensus in the court of public opinion as to whether or not the U.S. should become more involved or less, or if it is doing a good job in its current position. As we have seen in the past few weeks, there isn’t consensus on aid in
Afghanistan has been America’s longest war to date, Vietnam is a close second. Americans’ views differ widely on issues about foreign policy, aid and war. The one consensus found regarding the war in Afghanistan could lead the way for further solid footing in future engagements.


