Reagan Policy on Hostages Backed in Poll

A majority of Americans surveyed by CBS News approve of President Reagan’s handling of the hostage crisis in Lebanon, and his Tuesday night news conference, while dampening optimism for a quick resolution, seemed to convince many that his actions were correct.

The survey was conducted by telephone Tuesday night, with 237 adults interviewed before Reagan’s news conference and 271 afterward. Of those surveyed, 43% heard Reagan’s news conference and 57% did not. The margin of error was plus or minus 5%.

Fifty-one percent said they approved of what the President was doing, 23% disapproved and 26% had no opinion.

Of those who heard the news conference, 65% approved; of those who did not hear it, only 45% approved.

How Long Will It Last?

Of those who did not hear Reagan, 46% said they thought the crisis would be over soon, 39% thought it would go on for weeks and 6% believed it would last as long as the Iranian hostage crisis.

But of those who heard Reagan, 30% thought it would be over soon, 47% felt it would go on for weeks and 9% expected it would last as long as the Iranian incident, which went on for 444 days.

Half thought the hostages all would return unharmed, 30% felt they would be seriously hurt or killed and the rest had no opinion.

Fifty percent felt the U.S. government’s primary concern should be the lives of the hostages, while 34% felt the government should be more concerned with maintaining its policy of never negotiating with terrorists.

Hostages or Policy?

Fifty-eight percent of those who did not hear Reagan’s news conference said the hostages should be the major concern, and 23% said policy. Of those who heard Reagan, 42% said the hostages should be paramount, and 43% said policy.

Still, 65% said the United States sometimes must bargain with terrorists, and 25% said the United States would be better off if it always refused to negotiate.

Of those who heard the news conference, 67% said the government was doing all it could to get the hostages released, and 26% said it could do more. Forty-six percent of those who did not hear Reagan thought the government was doing all it could; 41% disagreed.