Pakistanis view al-Qaida as threat

COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 1 (UPI) -- In a major shift, most Pakistanis now see the Taliban and al-Qaida as critical threats to their country, a new public opinion survey shows.

The face-to-face survey of 1,000 Pakistanis, by WorldPublicOpinion.org, also found most Pakistanis support the government and army in their fight against the Pakistani Taliban in the Swat Valley.

"A sea change has occurred in Pakistani public opinion," said Clay Ramsay, the organization's research director. "The tactics and undemocratic bent of militant groups ... have brought widespread revulsion and turned Pakistanis against them."

Seventy percent of those surveyed said their sympathies were more with the government than with the Pakistani Taliban. Eighty-one percent said they viewed the activities of Islamists and local Taliban as a critical threat.

But the poll found a large majority of those who responded said they continue to have an unfavorable view of the U.S. government, and nearly two-thirds said they do not have confidence in U.S. President Barack Obama.

The survey was conducted in Pakistan May 17-28 and carries a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

WorldPublicOpinion.org is a consortium of research centers managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.