Airstrikes against the deadly jihadist Islamic State (ISIS) should continue, even after a second American journalist was beheaded in retaliation for the U.S. military actions, most voters surveyed agree in a new Rasmussen Reports poll. But they do not believe U.S. troops should fight ISIS alone.
The
telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters shows that 75 percent of the respondents believe the airstrikes should continue, while 13 percent believe they should stop.
Meanwhile, nearly half the respondents said U.S. combat troops should be sent to fight ISIS, but only 33 percent think the United States should fight ISIS alone.
Support for airstrikes has been growing since June, when a survey said 46 percent of voters were behind the strikes. The number went up to 60 percent in August and then to the current 75 percent.
As reports of ISIS's actions become more violent, including the beheadings of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, more people believe Iraq is a vital national security interest for the United States. In June, 38 percent believed the situation in Iraq was a national security issue, but this month, that number has grown to 57 percent, with 26 percent disagreeing and 17 percent undecided.
Meanwhile, 48 percent believe combat troops should be sent back to Iraq, but only as part of a multinational effort. Thirty-six percent don't want the United States involved in a multinational effort, while 16 percent were undecided.
But 50 percent don't think the United States should act alone, said the survey, which carried a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, with a 95 level of confidence.
The numbers are growing in favor of putting troops in Iraq.
Last month, only 40 percent of voters polled said the United States should take military action, even if the country ends up being overtaken by militants, but only 18 percent said soldiers should return to Iraq.
The support appears to be divided along party lines. Sixty-four percent of Republicans favor sending troops in an international coalition, but only 38 percent of Democrats and 42 percent of unaffiliated voters agreed. Republicans were also more likely to support the United States acting alone.
Men in the poll were more likely than women to support sending in troops, as were older voters versus younger voters.
However, voters of all ages do not overly support sending in U.S. troops without international support.
The poll comes on the heels of
another Rasmussen survey this week that shows Americans are worried about President Barack Obama's recent statement that "we don't have a strategy yet" to deal with ISIS.
In that poll, conducted Aug. 30-31, 73 percent of those surveyed say they are concerned that the United States does not have a strategy, and 47 percent said they were "very concerned" about Obama's policy for handling the brutal Islamic State.