Voters Support Expanding the Afghan Refugee Program
By Kirby Phares
In April, President Biden announced that the United States would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year. During the rapid withdrawal, the Taliban’s spread across Afghanistan has accelerated over the past few weeks, culminating in the Afghan government surrendering to Taliban forces and creating a dangerous situation for millions of people in the country.
In a new poll by Data for Progress conducted from August 20 to 23, we find that likely voters support President Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by a +12-point margin. This decision is overwhelmingly supported by Democrats by a +59-point margin, Independents by a +7-point margin, and nearly a third of Republicans.
As many Afghans look to flee Afghanistan, we also asked voters if they support the expansion of the refugee program for Afghans. A poll conducted from August 18 - 20th shows that voters strongly support allowing more Afghan refugees to immigrate to the United States. Voters support the expansion of the Afghan refugee program by a +14-point margin, including Democrats by a +44-point margin, Independents by a +8-point margin, and more than a third of Republicans.
President Biden should continue to feel confident in his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, as it still has support from a majority of voters. Now, the White House should quickly move forward with evacuating Afghans that are hoping to escape the dangerous situation in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Voters strongly support expanding the refugee program to resettle these refugees in the U.S, and the White House should act swiftly to do so.
Kirby Phares (@kirbyphares) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology:
From August 18 to 20, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,227 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percent.
From August 20 to 23, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,162 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.