Daily Research News Online no. 2466 - More Americans Disillusioned Over Iraq

More Americans Disillusioned Over Iraq

July 8 2003

American public opinion about the merits of the Iraq war is changing with the lack of positive news about weapons finds, peaceful reconstruction or capture of Saddam and his sons.

According to poll results published last week by Gallup, the percentage who feel the situation in Iraq was 'worth going to war over' is down to 56 from a high of 73 after the capture of Baghdad.

A poll in early January gave similar figures to today - 53% saying the situation was worth going to war over, and 42% saying it was not.

An open-ended question about reasons for these views reveals two main strands to pro-war sentiment, evenly balanced, and a variety of reasons for opposition. Of the 574 who say the war was worth fighting, around half give reasons relating to US and world security, and almost as many cite the benefits for Iraqis / the need to remove a cruel dictator:

Reasons situation in Iraq was worth going to war over:
Base:		574
		%
Protect the nation/stop the threat to world security		30
Because of Sept. 11th / to stop terrorism		13
To stop weapons of mass destruction from being sold or made		8

Removing Saddam Hussein from power (evil/cruel dictator)		27
Need to free the Iraqi people/stop the oppression		18

A variety of other reasons were given, each by 5% or fewer.

The major justification offered by the Bush administration for going to war was to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction, but only 8% of those who believe the Iraq war was worth it mention these weapons.

Reason for negative views include mistrust of motives, dislike of involvement in business not seen as crucial to the US, general anti-war sentiment or the lack of improvement resulting from the war.

Reasons Situation in Iraq not worth going to war over:
Base:		408
		%
Fraudulent claims/no W.M.D./lied to the people about them		24
Nothing has been resolved in Iraq/waste of human lives		24
Needed more evidence/time to investigate/make a case for war		12
Stop policing the world/not our business		11
Opposed to war/needed to be handled peacefully		9
All about big business/oil/gas		7
U.S. looks like a bully trying to control the world		7
Other countries are more of a threat		6
Need to take care of own problems first		3

These and other questions reinforce a major decline in positive sentiment about the Iraq war, although the bottom line is that a majority of Americans still feel positive, and a much larger majority, 69%, say that it is worth having US troops in Iraq now.

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,003 national adults, aged 18+, conducted June 27-29, 2003.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.