Americans are steadfastly opposed to sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria , but an overwhelming number of people continue to support the U.S.-led airstrikes against the terrorist group , a new CNN/ORC International poll shows . While fewer than four in 10 Americans favor sending U.S. ground troops into a combat situation against ISIS , there is a widespread belief that such an action is inevitable , according to the poll . Only 24 % of Americans do not think the United States will send combat troops to battle ISIS , while 36 % say it is likely and another 39 % say it is somewhat likely . Count House Speaker John Boehner , R-Ohio , as one of those people . Boehner said Sunday it may take U.S. boots on the ground to defeat ISIS , as he questioned President Barack Obama 's plan -- which includes airstrikes , training and equipping the Iraqi Army and moderate Syrian rebels -- to defeat the terrorist network . `` Listen , the President does n't want to do that , '' Boehner said in an interview on ABC 's `` This Week . '' `` If I were the President , I probably would n't have talked about what I would n't do . And maybe , maybe we can get enough of these forces trained and get them on the battlefield , but somebody 's boots have to be there . '' Boehner later added that the United States might have `` no choice '' but to put U.S. soldiers on the ground . `` These are barbarians , '' Boehner said of ISIS in the ABC interview . `` They intend to kill us , and if we do n't destroy them first , we 're going to pay the price . '' But Obama , in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS , continued to emphasize that U.S. combat troops will not be put on the ground , saying that the situation in the region is not a military problem , rather a political problem that leaders of those countries -- specifically Iraq -- need to address . `` This is not America against ISIL , '' Obama said in the interview that aired on '60 Minutes . ' '' This is America leading the international community to assist a country with whom we have a security partnership with , to make sure that they -- are able to take care of their business . '' Even though Obama has said he will not place combat troops in the region , the United States does have military advisers on the ground training and helping the Iraqi army strategically as it battle ISIS . ISIS fighter says U.S. airstrikes are n't effective . The formation of the international coalition of countries working with the United States to destroy ISIS is what appears to be giving Obama a boost of support from the American public for military action against ISIS . Seventy-three percent of Americans back the joint U.S. and ally airstrikes , but support drops to 50 % if the mission had been undertaken solely by the United States . Americans have a weary eye about one piece of the plan to defeat ISIS : arming the moderate Syrian rebels . While Congress approved legislation before it left for the campaign trail to allow for the arming and training of the rebels , only 42 % of Americans favor this action , and 54 % oppose it . Still , there is an undeniable belief among Americans that ISIS poses some level of threat to the United States , with 45 % describing it as `` very serious , '' 23 % saying it is `` fairly serious '' and 23 % noting that it is `` somewhat serious . '' Since the President addressed the nation on September 10 to outline his plan to defeat ISIS , Americans appear more confident in his ability to address the situation . A CNN/ORC poll conducted before his speech showed that 37 % of Americans approved of how he was handling ISIS , but this number has now increased to 45 % . Overall , 46 % of Americans approve of how he is handling the general topic of terrorism , up five points from the CNN/ORC poll conducted earlier this month . Overall , the President 's approval rating remains constant from the previous CNN/ORC poll . Earlier this month , 43 % of Americans approved of how he was handling his job , while the new CNN/ORC poll shows that it ticked up one point to 44 % . Keating Holland , CNN 's polling director , notes that only 40 % of Americans believe the United States is at war with ISIS , which `` may explain why ... his job rating does n't reflect a 'rally effect ' that previous presidents have experienced during wartime . '' In terms of the general mood of the country , 50 % of Americans say things are going well , while 49 % say it is going badly . On the five major general themes , Obama rates under 50 % : terrorism , 46 % ; ISIS , 45 % ; foreign affairs , 42 % ; economy , 42 % ; health care 42 % -- more signs that Obama could be more hurtful than helpful to vulnerable Democrats seeking reelection in November . The poll was conducted for CNN by ORC International , which interviewed 1,055 adult Americans , by telephone between September 25 and September 28 . The sampling error is +/-3 percentage points .
10 in Fewer than four Syrian favor sending U.S. ground troops in fight ISIS . 73 % percent of Americans back the joint U.S. and ally airstrikes in Iraq , U.S. . House Speaker Boehner says it may eventually take U.S. troops to defeat ISIS .