---
title: "Mexicans Support War on Drug Traffickers"
description: "The Mexican public overwhelmingly backs a tough anti-drug strategy: 83% support using the Mexican army to fight drug traffickers."
date: "2009-10-05"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2009/10/05/mexicans-support-war-on-drug-traffickers/"
---

# Mexicans Support War on Drug Traffickers

The Mexican public overwhelmingly backs a tough anti-drug strategy: 83% support using the Mexican army to fight drug traffickers, while only 12% oppose the idea. Moreover, the 2009 Pew Global Attitudes survey finds that most Mexicans believe the efforts are effective. Fully 66% say the army is making progress against the traffickers, while only 15% think it is losing ground. There is also considerable support for U.S. assistance in fighting the drug war. Almost eight-in-ten want the U.S. to train Mexican police and military personnel, and 63% want the U.S. to send money and weapons to the Mexican police and military. However, there is little appetite for having American troops on Mexican soil — only 30% want U.S. forces deployed to Mexico to fight drug traffickers. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1351/mexico-public-opinion-crime-economy-drugs-corruption)