Americans have grown more pessimistic over the events of the Arab Spring, with 57 percent now believing the changes in the Middle East will not to lasting improvements in the region, according to a poll from Pew released Thursday. Fifty-four percent of the 1,511 adults surveyed believe it is more important to have stable governments in the region, as opposed to 30 percent stating a preference for increased democracy.
While many of the views examined in the poll — including opinions on China and Iran, as well as US involvement in the region — are shared by both Democrats and Republicans, views on Israeli support remain slanted along partisan lines. Forty-six percent of the Republicans surveyed believe the US does not do enough to support Israel, compared to only nine percent of Democrats.
President Obama and Gov. Romney are set to discuss foreign policy during the third and final debate Monday. The PollTracker average shows 48 percent believe Obama would do a better job on foreign policy, with 44.9 percent siding with Romney.
