Research shows majority of veterans highly critical of Iraq and Afghanistan wars
August 08, 2019
A new report found that almost two thirds of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan felt the conflicts were not worth fighting.
The poll was conducted by the Pew Research Center. Questions were administered to both a group of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a group of civilians who had never served.
Sixty-four percent of veterans said that the war in Iraq was not worth the cost. Fifty-eight percent said the same about the Afghanistan war. Answers from the general public were almost the same as those from the veterans.
In addition, the poll found growing disdain for the conflict in Syria. Forty-two percent of veterans and 36 percent of the public said that it was not worth fighting.
This opinion, shared by many, was unaffected by demographics such as rank or combat experience. Political affiliation was the biggest indicator of opinion, with veterans who identify as Republican and Republican-leaning more likely to say they supported the conflicts and Democrat and Democrat-leaning more likely to say they did not.
Forty-five percent of Republican veterans supported the war in Iraq and only 15 percent of Democratic veterans did. For the war in Afghanistan, the statistics were similar. Forty-six percent Republican support versus 26 percent Democratic support. Opinions on the conflict in Syria saw a similar distribution with 54 percent Republican support versus 25 percent Democratic support. Again, the civilian group mirrored these numbers very closely.
The poll also asked about President Donald Trump. Fifty-seven percent of veterans approve of his presidency thus far. The difference in responses to this question was split along party lines.