DURHAM, N.H. - New Hampshire residents are pessimistic about the progress of the war in Afghanistan, and approval of the Obama administration's handling of the war in Iraq continues to decline.

These findings are based on the latest WMUR Granite State Poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Five hundred four (504) randomly selected New Hampshire adults were interviewed by telephone between July 19 and July 27, 2010. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4.4 percent.

July marked the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the nine year old conflict in Afghanistan, and Granite Staters' perceptions of the progress of the war among have dropped significantly.

In the most recent Granite State Poll, 65 percent of New Hampshire adults think the war in Afghanistan is going badly, 29 percent think it is going well, and 6 percent don't know. The percentage of those who believe the war is going badly has risen by 20 percentage points. When last asked in April, 50 percent of Granite Staters thought the war was going well, and 45 percent believed it was going badly.

Approval of President Obama's handling of the situation in Iraq has been declining throughout 2010, although a majority still approve of his actions. In the most recent Granite State Poll, 52 percent of New Hampshire adults approve of his handling of Iraq, 35 percent disapprove, and 12 percent are neutral. Obama continues hold majority support from Democrats and a plurality of political independents - 73 percent and 49 percent, respectively - but most Republicans (52 percent) now disapprove of the administration's actions in Iraq, up from 36 percent disapproval in April.

The complete poll results are available at http://www.unh.edu/survey-center/news/pdf/gsp2010_summer_warsapp080310.pdf.

The UNH Survey Center has conducted survey research projects at the University of New Hampshire since 1976. The center has grown rapidly during the past 30 years and now conducts approximately 40 to 50 major survey projects each year. More information: http://www.unh.edu/survey-center/.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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Andrew Smith, director of the UNH Survey Center.
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