This doesn't surprise me one bit.
More than four-in-ten independents (44%) react positively to the word "libertarian," while 32% have a negative reaction. Democrats are nearly evenly divided (39% positive, 37% negative). However, Republicans on balance have a negative impression of this term (44% negative, 31% positive).
The notion that Republicans are libertarian is ludicrous. They stick their noses into our bedrooms, into our doctors' offices, into churches. They demand the roundup of people who don't look like them. They whine about Miranda rights and due process. They are more concerned about the rights of big energy conglomerates, than they are about the rights of people to enjoy long walks on pristine beaches. They whine about true independent and free media that doesn't validate their ideology. They freak out about anyone who doesn't believe in their god, or worse, in any god at all.
For the American Taliban, "liberty" means their ability to impose their beliefs and lifestyle on the rest of society.
So of course they would react negatively to the word, since they equate it with libertinism. For a movement predicated on imposing its mores on the rest of society, this is obviously deeply offensive.
And speaking of the American Taliban, there's also this factoid:
While the word "militia" is viewed negatively, there are gender and partisan differences in reactions to this term. Overall, twice as many men (28%) as women (14%) say they have a positive reaction to the word "militia." In addition, more Republicans (27%) than independents (20%) or Democrats (15%) have positive impressions.
Republican men have a more positive impression of "militia" (36% positive) than do Democratic men (19%). Moreover, GOP men have a more positive reaction than do Republican women (18% positive).
They are neanderthals.