Public Opinion on US War on Terror & Islamic Countries: 2004 Cornell Study | Study Guides, Projects, Research Humanities

Media & Society Research Group • Cornell University • 314 Kennedy Hall • Ithaca, NY 14853 • 607-255-8058 • www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/msrg.html

Prepared by Erik C. Nisbet & James Shanahan

Introduction

This report is a summary of key findings from the

2004 national omnibus survey of public opinion and

media use conducted by the Communication 282

Industry Research Methods class in the Department of

Communication, located at Cornell University. The

survey was conducted in cooperation with the ILR

Survey Research Institute at Cornell University. The

Communication Omnibus Survey is an annual survey of

citizens in the continental United States who are at least

18 years of age and eligible to vote. The primary goal of

the survey is to explore the relationship between public

opinion and/or political behavior and various

communication behaviors. This year’s survey focused on

public opinion and perceptions about the U.S. War on

Terror, restrictions on civil liberties, U.S. foreign policy,

and Islam. The Media & Society Research Group

(MSRG) within the Cornell Department of

Communication sponsored the data collected and

presented in this report. Dr. Geri Gay and the

Department of Communication provided additional

financial support. More information on MSRG may be

found at http://www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/msrg.html.

The survey was conducted between October 25 and

November 23, 2004 and consists of 715 interviews from a

national listed household sample. The response rate was

25.7% and the cooperation rate 54.5%, measured

according to AAPOR standards. All results presented in

this report have been weighted based on age, gender,

and race. The margin of error for reported nationwide

results is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Margin of

error may be higher for reported results from sub-

groups. Additional information on the methodology can

be provided upon request.

This summary provides topline results for selected

topics on the 2004 Cornell Communication Omnibus,

including support and perceived reasons for the U.S.

War on Terror, perceptions of U.S. interactions overseas,

perceptions of Islamic countries, and public opinion

about Muslim anti-Americanism and its possible causes.

Some of the key findings of this report are:

• Seventy percent of respondents either strongly or

somewhat favor the U.S. War on Terror.

• When asked why the United States is conducting

the U.S. War on Terror, fewer than half (42%)

believe the primary reason was to protect the

United States from a future terrorist attack. Nearly

one-quarter (22%) of respondents believe the

primary reason was to control Middle East oil.

• When asked to characterize U.S. interactions with

other countries, sixty-seven percent of respondents

perceived the U.S. as aggressive, nearly sixty

percent as conceited or arrogant, and half (50%) as

adopting biased policies. These percentages are

very similar to how foreign Muslims view the U.S.

• When asked to characterize Islamic countries and

peoples, seventy-four percent of respondents

characterized them as oppressive to women. About

half of respondents also perceived Islamic countries

and peoples as violent, dangerous, and fanatical.

Conversely, roughly one-quarter of respondents

perceived them as modern or tolerant.

• About one-third of respondents believe that a clear

majority of foreign Muslims are hostile toward the

United States. In contrast, nearly forty-percent of

respondents believe a minority of foreign Muslims

are hostile toward the United States.

• Respondents are very divided on what they believe

is the primary cause of anti-Americanism within

the Muslim world, with no clear consensus. The

most-cited reasons were a fundamental difference

between Islamic and Western values (22%) or U.S.

policies toward Israel and Palestine (also 22%).

Three other possible reasons -- misinformation and

misperceptions spread by Arab/Muslim media, the

2003 invasion of Iraq, and the lack of social,

economic, and political development in the Muslim

World -- each were cited by eleven percent of the

respondents.

MSRG Special Report: U.S. War on Terror, U.S.

Foreign Policy, and Anti-Americanism

December 2004

The Media & Society Research Group, Cornell University, 314 Kennedy Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853

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Media & Society Research Group • Cornell University • 314 Kennedy Hall • Ithaca, NY 14853 • 607-255-8058 • www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/msrg.html Prepared by Erik C. Nisbet & James Shanahan

Introduction

This report is a summary of key findings from the 2004 national omnibus survey of public opinion and media use conducted by the Communication 282 Industry Research Methods class in the Department of Communication, located at Cornell University. The survey was conducted in cooperation with the ILR Survey Research Institute at Cornell University. The Communication Omnibus Survey is an annual survey of citizens in the continental United States who are at least 18 years of age and eligible to vote. The primary goal of the survey is to explore the relationship between public opinion and/or political behavior and various communication behaviors. This year’s survey focused on public opinion and perceptions about the U.S. War on Terror, restrictions on civil liberties, U.S. foreign policy, and Islam. The Media & Society Research Group (MSRG) within the Cornell Department of Communication sponsored the data collected and presented in this report. Dr. Geri Gay and the Department of Communication provided additional financial support. More information on MSRG may be found at http://www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/msrg.html. The survey was conducted between October 25 and November 23, 2004 and consists of 715 interviews from a national listed household sample. The response rate was 25.7% and the cooperation rate 54.5%, measured according to AAPOR standards. All results presented in this report have been weighted based on age, gender, and race. The margin of error for reported nationwide results is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Margin of error may be higher for reported results from sub- groups. Additional information on the methodology can be provided upon request. This summary provides topline results for selected topics on the 2004 Cornell Communication Omnibus, including support and perceived reasons for the U.S. War on Terror, perceptions of U.S. interactions overseas, perceptions of Islamic countries, and public opinion about Muslim anti-Americanism and its possible causes. Some of the key findings of this report are:

Seventy percent of respondents either strongly or somewhat favor the U.S. War on Terror.
When asked why the United States is conducting the U.S. War on Terror, fewer than half (42%) believe the primary reason was to protect the United States from a future terrorist attack. Nearly one-quarter (22%) of respondents believe the primary reason was to control Middle East oil.
When asked to characterize U.S. interactions with other countries, sixty-seven percent of respondents perceived the U.S. as aggressive, nearly sixty percent as conceited or arrogant, and half (50%) as adopting biased policies. These percentages are very similar to how foreign Muslims view the U.S.
When asked to characterize Islamic countries and peoples, seventy-four percent of respondents characterized them as oppressive to women. About half of respondents also perceived Islamic countries and peoples as violent, dangerous, and fanatical. Conversely, roughly one-quarter of respondents perceived them as modern or tolerant.
About one-third of respondents believe that a clear majority of foreign Muslims are hostile toward the United States. In contrast, nearly forty-percent of respondents believe a minority of foreign Muslims are hostile toward the United States.
Respondents are very divided on what they believe is the primary cause of anti-Americanism within the Muslim world, with no clear consensus. The most-cited reasons were a fundamental difference between Islamic and Western values (22%) or U.S. policies toward Israel and Palestine (also 22%). Three other possible reasons -- misinformation and misperceptions spread by Arab/Muslim media, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the lack of social, economic, and political development in the Muslim World -- each were cited by eleven percent of the respondents.

MSRG Special Report: U.S. War on Terror, U.S.

Foreign Policy, and Anti-Americanism

December 2004

The Media & Society Research Group, Cornell University, 314 Kennedy Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853

Media & Society Research Group • Cornell University • 314 Kennedy Hall • Ithaca, NY 14853 • 607-255-8058 • www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/msrg.html 9 17 24 46 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 % of Respondents S t r o n g l y Oppose S o m e w h a t Oppose S o m e w h a t F a v o r S t r o n g l y F a v o r

Support & Reasons for War on Terror

Public support for the U.S. War on Terror and the reasons behind the war continue to be important issues. Respondents were asked whether they favored or opposed U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism within the Muslim world on a four-point scale. Figure 1 provides the results. Figure 1 Public Support for U.S. War on Terror Seventy percent of respondents either somewhat or strongly favor the United States’ efforts to fight terrorism within the Muslim world. A follow-up question asked respondents what they believe was the primary motivation or reason behind the U.S.-led efforts. Respondents were given the option of selecting from six reasons or motivations, or providing their own. Table 1 provides the results. Table 1 Primary Reason Behind U.S. War on Terror Reason/Motivation (^) % who said To protect the United States from future terrorist attack 42 To control Middle East Oil (^22) To bring peace and democracy to the Middle East 12 To dominate the world under U.S. leadership (^4) To protect Israel (^3) To target Muslim groups and governments it sees as unfriendly 3 Other reason / Do not know/ Refused (^15) Public perceptions as to the reasons or motivations behind the U.S. War on Terror are somewhat fragmented with no majority consensus, though a large plurality of respondents (over 40%) do believe the primary reason is to prevent another terrorist attack. Combined with those who believe that the primary motivation is to bring peace and democracy to the Middle East, a bit over half (54%) of respondents have perceptions that are aligned with the public positions of the U.S. government. However, in contrast, nearly a quarter of respondents believe the primary motivation of the United States is to gain control of Middle East oil. Not surprisingly, individual support for the U.S. War on Terrorism varies widely depending on the perceived reason for the war. Ninety-one percent of respondents who believe the primary motivation behind the war is to protect the United States from future attack, and eighty-four percent of those who believe the reason is to bring peace and democracy to the Middle East, either somewhat or strongly favor the U.S. War on Terror. Again, in contrast, only forty-three percent of those who believe the primary reason behind the war is to control Middle East oil feel the same.

Perceptions of U.S. Interactions Overseas

Turning to public perceptions of U.S. policies and actions overseas, respondents were asked how much a series of nine different traits or characteristics applied to the United States in its interactions with other countries. Specifically, the traits and characteristics were: “aggressive”, “conceited”, “trustworthy”, “arrogant”, “gets provoked easily”, “friendly”, “ruthless”, “promotes democracy worldwide”, and “adopts biased policies”. Respondents were asked on a ten-point scale how much each statement applied to the United States, with answers of six (6) or greater coded as applicable. Except for “promotes democracy worldwide”, these adjectives were the same as those asked by the Gallup Organization to over 10,000 foreign Muslims across nine different Islamic countries in their Gallup Poll of the Islamic World in Spring 2002. Table 2 shows the percentage of respondents that believe the statement applies to the United States in its interaction with other countries, as well as the Gallup results for comparison. First, in regard to American perceptions of U.S. interactions overseas, nearly seven out of ten American respondents perceived the United States as aggressive and roughly six out of ten perceived the U.S. as both conceited and arrogant.

Media & Society Research Group • Cornell University • 314 Kennedy Hall • Ithaca, NY 14853 • 607-255-8058 • www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/msrg.html Table 4 Perceived Number of Foreign Muslims Hostile to U.S. Response Range % All Respondents Pew Results July 2004 0 to 10% / Just a Few (^20 ) 11% to 39% / Some (^18 ) 40% to 60% / About Half (^20 ) 61% to 89% / Most (^22 ) 90% to 100% / Almost All (^9 ) As a follow-up question, the 2004 Communication Omnibus Survey asked respondents to select what they believed was the primary reason for hostility within the Muslim world from a list of seven possible reasons. The reasons for overseas Muslim hostility posed to respondents reflect the range of reasons publicly debated by policy-makers, scholars, and the mass media. Table 5 summarizes the results by providing the percentage of all respondents that selected each reason. Table 5 Primary Reason Why Foreign Muslims Hostile to U.S. Reason (^) % who said A fundamental difference between Western and Muslim values & culture 22 U.S. Policies toward Israel and the Palestinians 22 The 2003 U.S. Invasion of Iraq (^11) Misinformation and Misperceptions spread by Arab/Muslim Media 11 The lack of social, economic, and political development in the Muslim World 11 The influence of Islamic religious leaders (^9) U.S. support for non-democratic regimes within the Muslim world 4 Other reason / Do not know/ Refused (^10) The results in Table 5 demonstrate no clear public consensus on why foreign Muslims are perceived to dislike the United States. The two most popular choices, a fundamental difference between Western and Islamic values or U.S. policies toward Israel and Palestine each garnered twenty-two percent of all responses; combined they represent less than half of the total respondents. Public perceptions were rather evenly split among the remaining possible reasons, except for U.S. support for non-democratic regimes in the Muslim world, which was cited by four percent of all respondents.

For More Information

If you are interested in more information on the methodology, data, or topics presented in this report, the Media & Society Research Group, or the 2004 Communication Omnibus Survey, please contact: Dr. James Shanahan Associate/International Professor Department of Communication 314 Kennedy Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 Ph: 607-255- Email: jes30@cornell.edu

Citing Results From This Report

Special Thanks

The authors would like to thank the students of Communication 282 who were instrumental in collecting the survey data presented in this report. We would also like to thank Dr. Ronald Ostman, the instructor of Communication 282, and his teaching assistants, Zuoming Wang and Jennifer Thom-Santelli. Lastly, we also thank the Survey Research Institute and its staff for its cooperation and assistance with this project.

Public Opinion on US War on Terror & Islamic Countries: 2004 Cornell Study, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Humanities

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Partial preview of the text

Download Public Opinion on US War on Terror & Islamic Countries: 2004 Cornell Study and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Humanities in PDF only on Docsity!

Introduction

MSRG Special Report: U.S. War on Terror, U.S.

Foreign Policy, and Anti-Americanism

December 2004

Support & Reasons for War on Terror

Perceptions of U.S. Interactions Overseas

For More Information

Citing Results From This Report

Special Thanks