Majority of Americans now support US troops on the ground against Isis

A CBS poll found that opinions had significantly shifted since October

The majority of Americans support sending US troops into Iraq and Syria to fight Isis for the first time, a new poll claims.

A CBS poll last week showed that 57 per cent of US citizens were in favour of sending US ground troops, a significant increase from October when 47 per cent approved action and September when only 39 per cent supported possible intervention.

The poll follows US president Barack Obama’s speech closing the Countering Violent Extremism on Wednesday, in which the American leader made a dozen mentions of the extremist group, also known as the Islamic State.

Isis’s barbarity, recently demonstrated in a video posted online which purportedly showed the execution of 21 Egyptian Christian Copts, has had a trickle through effect to the American public.

The shift in mood, reflected in the polling data in favour of intervention, can also be seen in data examining the perceived threat.

Approximately 65 per cent of Americans now view the organisation as a “major threat”.

The view is held across the political spectrum, with 86 per cent of Republicans, 61 per cent of Democrats and 57 per cent of Independents all agreeing that Isis presents a threat.

There has also been a significant shift in the Democratic and the independent viewpoint.

In October of last year, 56 per cent of Democrats and 49 per cent of Independents did not approve of military action - but that has now shifted. 50 per cent of Democrats and 53 per cent of Independents now support using ground troops.

The CBS poll was conducted via telephone in Spanish and English over 13 to 17 February. It asked over a 1,000 adults across the US.