Public opposition to military intervention in Syria has jumped dramatically in the span of one week, according to findings released Monday from Pew Research Center.
The latest Pew survey found 63 percent of Americans opposed to U.S. airstrikes in Syria — up from 48 percent who were opposed last week. Twenty-eight percent said they support airstrikes targeting the Assad regime, essentially unchanged from the 29 who favored the proposal in Pew’s findings a week ago.
Opposition has risen most strikingly among Republicans. While 40 percent of the party signaled opposition to airstrikes in Syria a week ago, Monday’s survey showed 70 percent of Republicans are now against the idea. Opposition among Democrats has risen modestly, from 48 percent last week to 53 percent today.
A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday found that while a large majority of Americans believes that the Assad regime gassed its own people — the most salient component of the Obama administration’s case for military action — a nearly equal majority is opposed to intervention.
