[ninty]

Here you are, the most recent poll. And of course I ahve to post it. I'm not going to say don't flame me or anyone else because it is inevitable.

[quote:e0200] NEWS STORY
Canada's support not noticed in U.S.
One-third of Americans unaware what Canada is doing in war on terror, poll shows

James Baxter
The Ottawa Citizen


Almost one in three Americans surveyed in a new poll say they don't know what support -- if any -- Canada has provided in the war on terrorism.

The poll, conducted by Environics research group on behalf of the Association for Canadian Studies, showed that almost 80 per cent of Americans surveyed who claimed some knowledge of the subject said they are satisfied with Canada's support in the war against terrorism, the military campaign in Afghanistan and efforts to improve border security. But in each case, between 28 and 30 per cent of respondents said they were unaware of Canada's support.

Younger Americans appeared to be more satisfied than seniors with Canada's support and appear to be better aware of such support than are those older than 65, said Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies. He said those with more education tended to express higher levels of satisfaction with Canadian support than those with lesser education.

Mr. Jedwab also said, not surprisingly, Americans in the southern U.S. expressed lesser degrees of satisfaction than their counterparts in the Northeast and seemed less aware of the support Canada provided. He said nowhere was this more evident than in issues pertaining to border security.

"In the Northeast, respondents seemed to be far in the know about the Canadian response than is the case elsewhere," said Mr. Jedwab. He noted that while 55 per cent of all Northeasterners polled said they were satisfied with Canada's efforts to tighten border security, they also demonstrated the highest levels of dissatisfaction, with 20.2 per cent suggesting Canada do more.

The poll was conducted as part of a fact-finding effort leading up to a three-day conference in Ottawa titled September 11th, 2001: The Impact and Aftermath for Canada and Canadians. The conference, which begins Thursday, expects to draw speakers from both sides of the border to discuss a range of issues, including: intelligence gathering and assessment; airport security and border regulations; public order and national security; Canadian immigration and refugee policy; and the treatment of religious and other minorities in Canada.

Mr. Jedwab said the conference appears even more relevant in light of another Environics poll, commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies, that shows an overwhelming majority of Canadians -- 70 per cent -- expect the U.S. will be struck again by terrorists. The poll showed that 14 per cent of respondents believe the war on terrorism will last at least five years, while 56 per cent expect it will continue forever.

"Most Canadians feel that the U.S.-led war on terrorism will never end," said Mr. Jedwab. "Still, one out of four respondents think that it will last for no more than five years. Few believe that the threat will be eliminated in the next couple of years, and judging by Canadian attitudes, the U.S. will be in this in the long haul."

This is largely because of Canadian perceptions that the terrorist attacks were the result of global conditions and U.S. government policies that are not likely to change.

While most Americans responded to a recent poll by saying they viewed the principal cause of the attack as being "the unprovoked acts of fanatics," Canadian respondents said three main reasons for the attacks were: a reaction to western domination and values, the view held by 28 per cent of those polled; a product of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, selected by 25 per cent; or the impact of U.S. foreign policy on the Arab world, which garnered 23 per cent. Only 15 per cent viewed the attacks as unprovoked actions by fanatics.

A majority of Canadians also tended to disagree with the rhetoric of U.S. President George W. Bush painting North Korea, Iraq and Iran as a so-called axis of evil, Mr. Jedwab said.

"President George Bush's statement that Iraq, Iran and North Korea constitute an axis of evil received wide attention around the world and is a view that is shared by a majority of Americans," said Mr. Jedwab. He said polling done over the past year in Europe reveals that it is not a view that is shared by a majority of Europeans and, according to the findings of his Environics poll, a majority of Canadians (58 per cent) also disagree with the statement.

"The latest poll shows that Canada and Europe view this issue very similarly," said Mr. Jedwab, noting that during the past year, Canadians have retreated from their acceptance that the U.S. view of an axis of evil is correct. He said the poll results do not suggest Canadians are unsupportive of U.S. actions taken to date.

The poll of 1,701 Canadians was taken between Aug. 18 and Aug. 28, 2002. The U.S. poll, which sampled 1,002 Americans, was conducted between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, 2002. The results of both polls are considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

© Copyright 2002 The Ottawa Citizen

[/quote:e0200]

http://www.canada.com/national/story.as ... 70A0CD54AD