Public opinion in Pakistan has turned sharply against the Taliban and other Islamist militants but Pakistanis still do not trust the United States and President Barack Obama, according to the results of a poll.

The turn in public mood is a boost to the military in its offensive against the insurgency – a campaign supported by the Obama administration, which believes security in Pakistan is vital to defeating the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

The survey showed that 81 percent of Pakistanis believe the activities of the Taliban and other Muslim extremists were a “critical threat” to the country, up from the 34 percent polled on the same question in September 2007.

Socio-Economic Development Consultants in Islamabad carried out the survey for WorldPublicOpinion.org, questioning 1,000 people across Pakistan from May 17 to 28, 2009. It gave a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Despite the refugee crisis triggered by the Swat operation, 68 percent of the poll’s respondents expressed confidence in the government’s handling of the Swat campaign, and 70 percent said their sympathies lie with the government – compared to only 5 percent for the Taliban.

A majority of Pakistanis have always opposed Islamist extremists although they have not necessarily viewed them as a threat to the country. Distrust of the United States and anger at the invasion of Afghanistan – coupled with a widely held view that Islamabad was acting against the militants at the behest of Washington – has also influenced the debate in the country.

But the military says the shift has made its job easier. Residents in areas affected by offensives have become more cooperative, sharing information on militant positions. In some spots, such as the Dir region, local tribesmen have launched their own militias to root out insurgents.

The Taliban’s violation of  peace deal – plus a widely circulated video showing a militant allegedly beating a women in Swat and a surge in suicide attacks around the country over the last year – have contributed to the shift in public opinion.

The poll said that 78 percent of the respondents support shutting down Taliban bases in Pakistan used in efforts to overthrow the Afghan government, but 81 percent of respondents oppose U.S. missile strikes on such camps.

Washington says the Taliban is using Pakistan’s tribal belt as a safe haven for launching attacks on U.S. and other western forces in Afghanistan, and has pushed Islamabad to crack down on the militants.

The U.S. has also fired more than 40 missiles at suspected militant targets in the tribal regions over the last year – including a strike last week that killed 80 people. The drone attacks have killed many militants but have served as a rallying cry for the insurgents.

WorldPublicOpinion.org is a project involving research centers from around the world that is managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.