Polling shows improved awareness of the International Criminal Court (ICC), driven by awareness among youth.
Washington, D.C., July 26, 2016 – The American Bar Associations’ (ABA) ICC Project today released the results of its most recent polling on Americans’ opinions on the ICC and related current events. Done in partnership with Ipsos Public Affairs, the polling results show a positive trend in Americans knowledge of the ICC, which is now at the highest it has been since this tracking began, at 45%, a 6-point increase from the last survey in April 2016. The polling also shows an increase in support for the ICC, with more than four in ten (44%) Americans supporting increased US involvement or fully joining the ICC, while less than half of that number (21%) think the US should not join the ICC.
Following the U.S. House of Representatives’ unanimous vote that Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has committed genocide and other atrocity crimes against religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq, this quarterly polling also asked Americans for their opinions on U.S. involvement in ICC prosecution of these crimes. On this matter, nearly half (49%) of Americans agree that “the US government should push diplomatically and politically for the ICC to get involved in investigating and prosecuting these crimes in Syria and Iraq,” while only 21% deem that “it is not the US government’s job to get involved in investigating and prosecuting theses crimes in Syria and Iraq.” Additionally, more than half of American support providing assistance, including financial assistance, to the ICC for the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.
For more information on the most recent ABA’s ICC Project/Ipsos poll, please visit the polling report.
The American Bar Association’s (ABA) International Criminal Court (ICC) Project is an independent initiative of the ABA Center for Human Rights that advances international criminal justice and US-ICC relations through advocacy, education and practical legal assistance. More information about the ABA’s ICC Project can be found at its website.