ISIS Poll – 49% of New Jerseyans oppose deployment of US troops

New Jersey residents are concerned that ISIS poses a threat to Americans in the United States, but they are divided on what the country should do about it, according to a poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind.

When asked how the U.S. should respond to the ISIS threat, 40 percent favored sending American troops to the Mideast to defeat the terrorist group but 49 percent opposed doing so.

"Even with the ISIS threat, putting troops in harm's way appears unjustified to some, while others believe it's a rational response to the threats posed by their continuing presence," said Krista Jenkins, professor of political science at FDU and director of PublicMind.

Other findings:

• 71 percent said ISIS poses a threat to Americans by disrupting stability in the Middle East;
• 87 percent said Americans abroad are threatened by ISIS;
• 72 percent said ISIS poses a threat to Americans in the U.S.

Republican respondents viewed the threat of ISIS more severely than Democrats or Independent voters. Republicans were also more supportive of sending American troops abroad to fight the terrorist group.

The survey of 901 adults in New Jersey was conducted by telephone with both landline and cell phones from Feb. 23 through March 1. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percentage points.

"Seeing so many people fearful of the threat that ISIS poses to Americans in the United States is alarming," said Jenkins, who attributed it to the way that the terrorist group has used social media "to take their fight beyond the territory that they control."