Spectator/YouGov poll

16 August 2006

Another fascinating revelation is that 73 per cent of respondents agree that ‘the West is in a global war against Islamic terrorists who threaten our way of life’ while only 8 per cent think that ‘Islamic terrorism is a regional problem that poses no real threat to the West’.

This could be good news for Israel if its struggle with Hezbollah and Hamas is seen as part of a wider conflict. People are increasingly preparing for a long, bitter and potentially bloody struggle, with 60 per cent of respondents saying they expect the threat from terror groups to worsen over time. Only 6 per cent of respondents said they thought the conflict against Islamic terrorists would last five years or less; only 18 per cent believe that it will be over within ten years.

The good news for the government is that, again contrary to the widespread scepticism of sections of the media, fewer than a quarter of respondents accuse British politicians of deliberately exaggerating the threat; and only a small majority think Tony Blair should have returned home to oversee the emergency. However, they do think that more should have been done by the government to increase airport security before 10 August; personal experience combined with tabloid stories demonstrating how easy it has been to thwart security will have bolstered this view.