American Reaction to "Friendly Fire" Incident in Afghanistan
Almost the Same Number (67%) Believe U.S. Should Pay Compensation to Families of Canadian Soldiers Killed or Injured
However, a Majority (56%) Agree that in War These Types of Tragic Incidents Happen, Compared to Only 46% of Canadians
Washington, D.C. - According to an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll conducted over the weekend that was released today, Americans appear to be sympathetic to the deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan last week which resulted from a "friendly fire" bombing by a U.S. Air National Guard piloting an F-16 Fighter jet. Overall, seven-in-ten (71%) of Americans believe that U.S. President George W. Bush should personally call the families of the Canadian soldiers who were killed, to offer his apology on behalf of the American people for the incident.
In comparison to the views of Canadians on this subject, while over eight-in-ten (84%) of Canadians in a companion study believe that if the U.S. pilot who bombed the Canadian troops is found negligent or to have disobeyed orders not to drop his bombs by the investigation, that he should stand trial, seven-in-ten (69%) Americans believe this.
Almost as many Americans (67%) agree that if the U.S. military is found to be negligent by the investigation into this incident, the United States government should provide compensation to the families of the Canadians soldiers who were killed or injured. In the companion study in Canada, 85% of Canadians agree that this view.
However, a majority (56%) of Americans feel that these types of incidents happen all the time in war zones, so that while it is tragic, no one is really to blame. Once again, the views of Americans and Canadians differ on this with less than half (46%) of Canadians who agree with this view.
These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll conducted between April 19th and April 21st, 2002. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Americans. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult American population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual American population according to the 2000 Census data.
The companion Canadian Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll was conducted on April 19th and 20th, 2002 with a randomly selected sample of 800 adult Canadians. The associated margin of error for a sample of this size is +3.5%, 19 times out of 20.
Seven-in-Ten (71%) Americans Say President Bush Should Personally Call Families of Canadian Soldiers Killed
Americans appear to be sympathetic to the "friendly fire" deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, are not as strong in their condemnation as Canadians. Overall, seven-in-ten (71% - 54% strongly) of Americans believe that U.S. President George W. Bush should personally call to offer his apology on behalf of the American people for the incident to the families of the four Canadian soldiers who were killed and the eight others injured after being bombed by a U.S. F-16 jet last week in Afghanistan. One-quarter (25%) of Americans express disagreement with this view.
- Middle aged (75%) Americans are more likely to believe that President Bush should personally call the Canadian soldier's families. This compares to 70% of younger Americans and 67% or older Americans.
- Those in the lowest household income group (78%) are more likely to express agreement with this view than those from the middle (71%) or highest (67%) household income group.
- Self-identified Democrats (77%) are more likely to believe that President Bush should make the call to the families than Republicans (66%) or Independent voters (66%).
As Many (69%) Agree that U.S. Pilot Responsible for Bombing of Canadians Troops Should Stand Trial Versus 84% of Canadians
While over eight-in-ten (84%) of Canadians in a companion study believe that if the U.S. pilot who bombed the Canadian troops is found by the investigation to be negligent or to have disobeyed orders not to drop his bombs, that he should stand trial, only seven-in-ten (69%) Americans believe this to be the case. One-quarter (23%) of Americans disagree with this proposal.
- Americans between 18 and 34 (76%) and 35 to 54 (75%) are more likely than Americans 55 years of age and older (54%) to believe the U.S. pilot should stand trial if he is found to be negligent or to have disobeyed orders.
- There are no significant difference on this proposal across regions or between demographic groupings.
Almost the Same Number (67%) Believe U.S. Should Pay Compensation to Families of Canadian Soldiers Killed or Injured
Almost seven-in-ten (67%) Americans agree that if the U.S. military is found to be negligent by the investigation into this incident, that the United States government should provide compensation to the families of the Canadians soldiers who were killed or injured. Three-in-ten (28%) disagree that this should be done. In the companion study conducted among Canadians, 85% expressed agreement with this statement.
- Once again, younger (72%) and middle aged (72%) Americans are more likely to agree with this view than their older (57%) counterparts.
- Those in the middle (72%) and lower (71%) household income groups are more likely than those in the upper (64%) household income group to feel this way.
- Democrats (76%) are also more likely than Republicans (61%) or Independent (60%) voters to believe this to be the case.
- There are no significant differences between regions or gender on this subject.
However, a Majority (56%) Agree that in War These Types of Tragic Incidents Happen, Compared to Only 46% of Canadians
However, a majority (56%) of Americans express the view that these types of incidents happen all the time in war zones, so that while it is tragic, no one is really to blame. Four-in-ten (38%) of Americans disagree that this is the case.
- Regionally, Americans in the West (64%) are more likely than those in other regions of the country to agree with this view. This compares to 54% of residents in the South and Midwest and 53% of those in the Northeast region of the country.
- Older (62%) Americans are more likely to believe this is the case than middle aged (56%) or younger (52%) Americans.
- Republicans (61%) are more likely to accept this view than Independent (55%) voters or Democrats (52%).
- Men (59%) are slightly more likely to agree with this view than women (53%).
Eight-in-Ten (81%) Americans Agree that President George W. Bush Should Formally Apologize for this Incident
Eight-in-ten (81%) Americans agreed that President George W. Bush should formally apologize to the People and Government of Canada for this incident, which he did at the end of last week after prolonged silence on the matter. In fact, six-in-ten (62%) strongly agree that the President should do this, with a further 19% who somewhat agree. One-in-six (15%) Americans disagree that a formal apology should be made by the President.
- Americans from the highest (86%) and lowest (82%) household income groups are more likely than those in the middle household income group (76%) to believe that a formal apology should be made.
- Democrats (88%) are more likely than Independent (77%) voters or Republicans (76%) to feel that the President should apologize for the incident.
- There are no significant differences between age, gender or regions on this topic.
To view the complete release and tables, please download the attached PDF files.
-30- For more information on this news release, please contact: Thom Riehle President and C.O.O. U.S. Public Affairs Ipsos-Reid (202)463-7300
