Most Americans say the United States should not accept any Syrian refugees into the country in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, siding with many Republican lawmakers and against the White House on the issue, according to a new poll.
Fifty-three percent said the U.S. shouldn’t accept the refugees according to the Bloomberg Politics poll, as lawmakers grapple with how to approach the issue.
Twenty-eight percent said the U.S. should proceed with the administration’s plans to resettle 10,000 refugees without religious screening, and 11 percent said the country should resettle only Christian refugees from Syria, as suggested by Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who is also running for president.
The survey was conducted in the wake of the terrorist attacks last week in Paris.
Americans were divided on whether the U.S. should send in ground troops to fight the Islamic State terrorist group and on whether the U.S. has done enough to protect the homeland to prevent similar attacks from happening.
Forty-five percent said the U.S. should not send American troops to Iraq or Syria to fight the group, and 44 percent said the U.S. should send troops. Forty-eight percent said they are “mostly confident” the U.S. has done enough to protect the homeland against a Paris-like attack, and 46 percent said they are “mostly not confident” the U.S. has done so.
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But the Islamic State group is now seen as the most important issue facing the U.S. by 21 percent of those surveyed, vaulting it ahead of any other issue. “Terrorism” and “a decline in real income for American workers” were next at 14 percent apiece, followed by unemployment and jobs at 11 percent and health care at 10 percent.
In September, unemployment and jobs had been the top concern, at 20 percent, followed by a decline in income for American workers at 14 percent, and the Islamic State and health care at 11 percent each.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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