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Poll: More Now Say U.S. Should Step Up Role in Foreign Affairs

According to a new NBC/WSJ poll, 27 percent now want the United States to be more active in international affairs.

The percentage of Americans who believe the United States should become more active in world affairs has increased in the months since international events – including the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria – have become major stories, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds.

Still, a plurality of respondents want the U.S. to be less active in world affairs, but that number is down from April.

According to the NBC/WSJ poll, 40 percent want the United States to be less active in international affairs; 27 percent want to be more active; and 29 percent want it to stay at its current level.

But that's a change since April, when 47 percent wanted the country to be less active; just 19 percent wanted it to be more active; and 30 percent wanted it to stay the same.

The change has come primarily from Republican respondents, who favor more activity over less activity in world affairs by a 41 percent-to-34 percent margin.

By comparison, just 15 percent of Democrats want the United States to be more active in foreign affairs.

The rest of the NBC/WSJ poll – which was conducted Sept. 3-7 of 1,000 registered voters and has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points – will be released at 6:30 pm ET.