Poll: Plurality Oppose Libyan Intervention, But Support Protecting Civilians

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A plurality of Americans oppose the nation’s military involvement in Libya, according to a Quinninpiac poll released this morning. But at the same time, majorities support both protecting Libyan civilians from Muammar Qaddafi’s troops, and using cruise missiles to destroy Qaddafi’s anti-air installations.

In the poll, 47% of adult Americans said the U.S. was doing the wrong thing by fighting in Libya, compared to 41% who said the U.S. was doing the right thing.

But respondents did support destroying Libya’s air defenses with cruise missiles — by a 53%-35% margin. Furthermore, 65% of Americans said the U.S. should “use military force to protect civilians from Gadhafi.”

Seventy-four percent said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned that the mission would lead to a protracted military conflict, compared to only 24% who said they were not too concerned, or not concerned at all.

The poll also found that 58% of Americans thought Obama had not clearly defined the mission’s goals, twice the percentage who said he had clearly stated its purpose (29%). The poll was conducted through Monday afternoon, and concluded just before President Obama addressed the nation in a televised address.

Quinninpiac’s is the latest in a string of surveys that has shown tepid support for America’s latest military campaign.

An AP/GfK poll released earlier this week found that 50% of Americans opposed the Libyan intervention. And while a Gallup poll released Monday found that a 47% plurality of Americans supported the campaign in Libya, exactly half thought the U.S. had no clear goal there.

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted March 22-28 among 2,069 American adults nationwide. It has a margin of error of 2.2%.

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