Polls Find Support for Women in Combat

A Rasmussen Report poll out today found the majority of voters surveyed agreeing with the Pentagon decision to let women serve in combat roles.

The new survey found 59 percent of likely voters surveyed believe that women in the military should be allowed to fight on the front lines and perform all the combat roles that men do, with most feeling that women should pass the same physical tests as men in order to do so. That’s up five percent from February 2012.

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Thirty-two percent surveyed by Rasmussen oppose women in combat.

It’s a smaller majority than a Gallup poll released Friday, which found 74 percent saying they would “vote” for women in combat, 20 percent opposing the policy, and six percent with no opinion.

Among those supporting women in combat, 83 percent identified as Democrat or leaning that way and 70 percent as Republican or leaning that way.

Men and women polled were equally likely to support women in combat, with 73 percent of men and 76 of women favoring the policy.

In February 1991, Gallup polled on changing the rules to allow women in combat. Back then, only 38 percent favored it.

By September 2007, respondents were polling 74 percent in favor of the policy change.

A HuffPost/YouGov poll conducted Jan. 23-24 found 45 percent of Americans favor allowing women in the military to join combat units, another 21 percent said they neither favor nor oppose doing so and 26 percent say they are opposed to allowing women to serve in combat roles.

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