Over two-thirds of Americans feel US on wrong track: Survey

Over two-thirds of Americans believe that things in the United States were not on the right track, according to a latest survey that claimed that the country's President Joe Biden had received approval from only 38 per cent of the participants they questioned.

According to the survey by Global Market Research and Public Opinion company, Ipsos Core Political, 69 pc of Americans believe things in this country are on the wrong track, which represents a 10-point increase in pessimism compared to the same time last year when the figure was 59 pc.

Among Democrats, 51 pc believe the country is off on the wrong track, 12 points higher than this time last year. Among independents, 73 pc say the country is on the wrong track, while 87 pc of Republicans say the same.

The economy (29pc) is the most important problem to Americans, followed by crime or corruption (9pc), the environment and climate (8pc), and the healthcare system (6pc).

For Democrats, the order of importance is the economy (24pc), the environment (13pc), the end of national abortion rights (11pc), and crime or corruption (9pc). Among Republicans, it is the economy (34pc), crime or corruption (11pc), immigration (11pc), and morality (8pc). Finally, among independents, the economy is also the top concern (30pc), followed by the environment (12pc), and the healthcare system (8pc).

President Biden's approval rating is at 38 per cent this week, with 58 per cent disapproving. Seventy-five percent of Democrats approve of Biden's work in office, but only 31 per cent of independents and 10 per cent of Republicans approve.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between August 29-30, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 Americans age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii were interviewed online in English.

The sample includes 449 Democrats, 357 Republicans, and 128 independents. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe.

Earlier, according to a Gallup poll out this week, a year after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, American society remains sharply divided over whether sending troops there in 2001 was the right decision,

"One year after the chaotic withdrawal of the United States. troops from Afghanistan, 50 per cent of Americans say the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops to the country, while 46 per cent say it did not," the poll said.

It said the close disparity in views is similar to two other polls conducted last year just before and after the withdrawal. As many as 58 per cent of Democrats and 53 per cent of independent voters think that the war in Afghanistan was a mistake, while only 37 per cent of Republicans share such an opinion.

The results are quite close to poll readings over the past 20 years. However, in 2021 only every fourth Republican said that sending troops to Afghanistan was a mistake. The poll was conducted from August 1-23, 2022 among 1,006 adults in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error is +-4 percentage points at the 95 per cent confidence level.

The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August of 2021, triggering the collapse of the US-backed government and accelerating American troop pullout. On August 31, 2021, US forces completed their withdrawal from the country, ending the 20-year-long military presence.

Last month, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report outlining the human rights situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. The report summarises UNAMA's findings with regards to the protection of civilians, extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, fundamental freedoms and the situation in places of detention. The report also contains recommendations to both the de facto authorities and the international community.

Despite an overall, significant reduction in armed violence, between mid-August 2021 and mid-June 2022, UNAMA recorded 2106 civilian casualties. The majority of civilian casualties were attributed to targeted attacks by the armed group self-identified "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan Province" against ethnic and religious minority communities in places where they go to school, worship and go about their daily lives.

"It is beyond time for all Afghans to be able to live in peace and rebuild their lives after 20 years of armed conflict. Our monitoring reveals that despite the improved security situation since 15 August, the people of Afghanistan, in particular women and girls, are deprived of the full enjoyment of their human rights," said Markus Potzel, Acting Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan.

While the de facto authorities have taken some steps seemingly aimed at the protection and promotion of human rights, such as the amnesty for former government officials and security force members, the 3 December decree on women's rights and a code of conduct relating to prisoners, they also bear responsibility for a broad range of human rights violations.

The erosion of women's rights has been one of the most notable aspects of the de facto administration to date. Since 15 August, women and girls have progressively had their rights to fully participate in education, the workplace and other aspects of public and daily life restricted and in many cases completely taken away.

( With inputs from ANI )

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