Darkhawk28
Diamond Member
Iraq, 9/11, Al Qaeda and Weapons of Mass Destruction: What the Public Believes Now, According to Latest Harris Poll
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest Harris Poll conducted following the recent elections in Iraq finds that on many aspects U.S. adults have not changed their basic views about Iraq with one important exception: The number of adults who favor bringing troops home in the next year has increased significantly to its highest level since October 2003 when Harris Interactive(R) first measured the public's opinions on this issue.
Specifically, almost six in 10 (59%) adults now favor bringing most troops home in the next year and 39 percent favor keeping a large number of troops in Iraq until there is a stable government there. In November, less than half (47%) favored bringing troops home and half (50%) favored keeping troops in Iraq.
However, the public remains split on whether the invasion of Iraq strengthened (46%) or weakened (48%) the war on terrorism.
These are some of the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 1,012 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone by Harris Interactive between February 8 and 13, 2005.
On other issues concerning Iraq, the attitudes of large majorities of the public have not changed significantly in the past few months.
-- 88 percent of U.S. adults believe that Saddam Hussein would have made
weapons of mass destruction if he could have (down slightly from 90% in
November).
-- 76 percent believe that the Iraqis are better off now than they were
under Saddam Hussein (same as November).
-- 64 percent believe that history will give the U.S. credit for bringing
freedom and democracy to Iraq (up slightly from 63% in November).
-- 64 percent believe that Saddam Hussein had strong links to Al Qaeda (up
slightly from 62% in November).
-- 61 percent believe that Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was a serious
threat to U.S. security (down slightly from 63% in November).
More surprising perhaps are the large numbers (albeit not majorities) who believe the following claims not made by the president and which virtually no experts believe to be true:
-- 47 percent believe that Saddam Hussein helped plan and support the
hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001 (up six
percentage points from November).
-- 44 percent actually believe that several of the hijackers who attacked
the U.S. on September 11 were Iraqis (up significantly from 37% in
November).
-- 36 percent believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the
U.S. invaded (down slightly from 38% in November).
Another interesting finding is that only 46 percent believe that Saddam Hussein was prevented from developing weapons of mass destruction by the U.N. weapons inspectors, a fact which most reports now support.
TABLE 1
FAVOR KEEPING LARGE NUMBER OF U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ OR BRINGING MOST HOME IN
NEXT YEAR
"Do you favor keeping a large number of U.S. troops in Iraq until there is a
stable government there OR bringing most of our troops home in the next year?"
Base: All Adults
Oct. Feb. April June Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. NOW
2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004
% % % % % % % % %
Favor keeping a
large number of
U.S. troops in
Iraq until there
is a stable
government there 46 45 42 39 40 38 47 50 39
Favor bringing
most of our
troops home in
the next year 47 51 51 56 54 54 50 47 59
Not sure/Refused 7 4 8 6 5 7 3 2 1
NOTE: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100 percent due to rounding.
TABLE 2
DID INVASION OF IRAQ STRENGTHEN/WEAKEN WAR ON TERROR?
"Do you think the invasion of Iraq strengthened or weakened the war on
terrorism?"
Base: All Adults
June Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. NOW
2004 2004 2004 2004 2004
% % % % % %
Strengthened the war on
terrorism 52 50 43 52 48 46
Weakened the war on terrorism 38 40 41 45 48 48
Not sure/Refused 10 10 16 3 4 6
TABLE 3
WHAT PUBLIC BELIEVES TO BE TRUE
"Do you believe that the following statements are true or not true?"
(Total percentages saying "true")
Base: All Adults
October February
2004 2005
% %
Saddam Hussein would have made weapons
of mass destruction if he could have. 90 88
The Iraqis are better off now than
they were under Saddam Hussein. 76 76
History will give the U.S. credit for
bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq. 63 64
Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was a serious
threat to U.S. security. 63 61
Saddam Hussein had strong links with Al Qaeda. 62 64
Saddam Hussein was prevented from developing
weapons of mass destruction by United Nations'
weapons inspectors. 45 46
Saddam Hussein helped plan and support the
hijackers who attacked the U.S. on
September 11, 2001. 41 47
Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when
the U.S. invaded. 38 36
Several of the hijackers who attacked the
U.S. on September 11 were Iraqis. 37 44
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I find it completely amazing how a huge amount of people in this country STILL think Iraq had anything to with 9/11.
Plus, look at the amount of people that want our troops to come home almost immediately (by the end of the year). Now look back at that same statistic from November. The November number looks awfully like the election result, doesn't it?
I think more and more people are starting to see that they've been duped by this administration.
Although the level of ignorance as to how and why we got into the situation in Iraq is still "staggering", it does show slight bit of improvement (ON SOME THINGS).
Edit: Ack! Will try to edit for some clarity.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest Harris Poll conducted following the recent elections in Iraq finds that on many aspects U.S. adults have not changed their basic views about Iraq with one important exception: The number of adults who favor bringing troops home in the next year has increased significantly to its highest level since October 2003 when Harris Interactive(R) first measured the public's opinions on this issue.
Specifically, almost six in 10 (59%) adults now favor bringing most troops home in the next year and 39 percent favor keeping a large number of troops in Iraq until there is a stable government there. In November, less than half (47%) favored bringing troops home and half (50%) favored keeping troops in Iraq.
However, the public remains split on whether the invasion of Iraq strengthened (46%) or weakened (48%) the war on terrorism.
These are some of the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 1,012 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone by Harris Interactive between February 8 and 13, 2005.
On other issues concerning Iraq, the attitudes of large majorities of the public have not changed significantly in the past few months.
-- 88 percent of U.S. adults believe that Saddam Hussein would have made
weapons of mass destruction if he could have (down slightly from 90% in
November).
-- 76 percent believe that the Iraqis are better off now than they were
under Saddam Hussein (same as November).
-- 64 percent believe that history will give the U.S. credit for bringing
freedom and democracy to Iraq (up slightly from 63% in November).
-- 64 percent believe that Saddam Hussein had strong links to Al Qaeda (up
slightly from 62% in November).
-- 61 percent believe that Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was a serious
threat to U.S. security (down slightly from 63% in November).
More surprising perhaps are the large numbers (albeit not majorities) who believe the following claims not made by the president and which virtually no experts believe to be true:
-- 47 percent believe that Saddam Hussein helped plan and support the
hijackers who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001 (up six
percentage points from November).
-- 44 percent actually believe that several of the hijackers who attacked
the U.S. on September 11 were Iraqis (up significantly from 37% in
November).
-- 36 percent believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the
U.S. invaded (down slightly from 38% in November).
Another interesting finding is that only 46 percent believe that Saddam Hussein was prevented from developing weapons of mass destruction by the U.N. weapons inspectors, a fact which most reports now support.
TABLE 1
FAVOR KEEPING LARGE NUMBER OF U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ OR BRINGING MOST HOME IN
NEXT YEAR
"Do you favor keeping a large number of U.S. troops in Iraq until there is a
stable government there OR bringing most of our troops home in the next year?"
Base: All Adults
Oct. Feb. April June Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. NOW
2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004
% % % % % % % % %
Favor keeping a
large number of
U.S. troops in
Iraq until there
is a stable
government there 46 45 42 39 40 38 47 50 39
Favor bringing
most of our
troops home in
the next year 47 51 51 56 54 54 50 47 59
Not sure/Refused 7 4 8 6 5 7 3 2 1
NOTE: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100 percent due to rounding.
TABLE 2
DID INVASION OF IRAQ STRENGTHEN/WEAKEN WAR ON TERROR?
"Do you think the invasion of Iraq strengthened or weakened the war on
terrorism?"
Base: All Adults
June Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. NOW
2004 2004 2004 2004 2004
% % % % % %
Strengthened the war on
terrorism 52 50 43 52 48 46
Weakened the war on terrorism 38 40 41 45 48 48
Not sure/Refused 10 10 16 3 4 6
TABLE 3
WHAT PUBLIC BELIEVES TO BE TRUE
"Do you believe that the following statements are true or not true?"
(Total percentages saying "true")
Base: All Adults
October February
2004 2005
% %
Saddam Hussein would have made weapons
of mass destruction if he could have. 90 88
The Iraqis are better off now than
they were under Saddam Hussein. 76 76
History will give the U.S. credit for
bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq. 63 64
Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was a serious
threat to U.S. security. 63 61
Saddam Hussein had strong links with Al Qaeda. 62 64
Saddam Hussein was prevented from developing
weapons of mass destruction by United Nations'
weapons inspectors. 45 46
Saddam Hussein helped plan and support the
hijackers who attacked the U.S. on
September 11, 2001. 41 47
Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when
the U.S. invaded. 38 36
Several of the hijackers who attacked the
U.S. on September 11 were Iraqis. 37 44
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I find it completely amazing how a huge amount of people in this country STILL think Iraq had anything to with 9/11.
Plus, look at the amount of people that want our troops to come home almost immediately (by the end of the year). Now look back at that same statistic from November. The November number looks awfully like the election result, doesn't it?
I think more and more people are starting to see that they've been duped by this administration.
Although the level of ignorance as to how and why we got into the situation in Iraq is still "staggering", it does show slight bit of improvement (ON SOME THINGS).
Edit: Ack! Will try to edit for some clarity.
