In the online survey of representative national samples, at least three-in-four respondents in the United States (77%) and Britain (75%) believe that removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right thing to do, even if his regime did not possess weapons of mass destruction. However, about two thirds of respondents (65% in the U.S. and 69% in Britain) think the war in Iraq was not worth the human and financial toll.

The Conflict

While there is a 30-point gap in the way Britons assess their government’s original decision to launch military action in Iraq in 2003 (Right 22%, Wrong 52%), the views of Americans are not as lopsided, with 45 per cent calling the decision a mistake, and 35 per cent saying it was the correct course of action.

Seven-in-ten Britons (70%) and three-in-four Americans (76%) say they are satisfied with U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw nearly all troops from Iraq by the end of this year.

The View of History

While 16 per cent of respondents in both countries believe the war in Iraq will be seen as a defeat for the U.S. and its allies two decades from now, Americans are more likely to expect history to see the conflict as a victory (22%) than Britons (13%). In fact, respondents in the U.S. tend to regard the Iraq War in a similar light as the Korean War (12% think it was a defeat), while keeping a negative view of the Vietnam War (42% consider it a defeat).

Analysis

Nine years after the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 1441—which compelled Saddam Hussein to disarm or face “serious consequences”—people in the two countries that provided the largest contingents during the 2003 invasion hold differing views on specific aspects of the war in Iraq. While the idea of toppling the Iraqi regime even without the presence of weapons of mass destruction is endorsed by most respondents, a large proportion also feels that the conflict was not worth the human and financial toll.

Few Americans are looking at the War in Iraq as a defeat, and many do not expect history to ultimately see it as a failed campaign.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From October 25 to November 2, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,001 randomly selected American adults who are Springboard America panelists, and 1,755 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1% in the United States and 2.3% in Britain. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the two countries. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

Last month, the Government released a formerly secret autopsy report on the death of Dr. Kelly—a former United Nations (UN) weapons inspector—in 2003.

The report reaffirms that Dr. Kelly committed suicide after he was exposed as the source of a report that accused the Tony Blair Government of overstating intelligence reports to make the case for war against Iraq more plausible.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 2,021 British adults, 25 per cent of respondents think that Dr. Kelly’s committed suicide, while 28 per cent disagree with this notion. Almost half of Britons (47%) are undecided.

The Government has rejected calls for a full inquest into Dr. Kelly’s demise. A majority of respondents in Britain (52%) support launching a full inquest into the death of Dr. Kelly, while 27 per cent are opposed.

Download Full Tables

Download Full Methodology Statement

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From October 24 to October 26, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,021 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

People in the United States and Britain regret the decision of their respective governments to engage militarily in Iraq in 2003, and are now more likely to brand the war as a failure rather than as a success, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of representative national samples of 1,011 American and 2,006 British adults also finds that at least two thirds of respondents in the two countries agree with the argument that taking action against Saddam Hussein despite the absence of weapons of mass destruction was the right thing t do.

The War in Iraq

Only 23 per cent of Americans believe the war in Iraq was success, along with 12 per cent of Britons.

Conversely, two-in-five Americans (45%) and three-in-five Britons (63%) think the conflict was a failure.

Half of Americans (52%) believe their government made a mistake in launching military action against Iraq in 2003.

Two-thirds of Britons (66%) also chide their own government’s decision to support and participate in the war.

Recently, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg stated that the legality of the Iraq War “has never been proven.” More than half of Americans (55%) and almost three-in-four Britons (73%) share the same point of view.

Large majorities of respondents in the U.S. (63%) and Britain (70%) believe that the Iraq War negatively affected the position and image of their respective countries in the world.

Iraq’s Past and Future

A large proportion of Americans (73%) and Britons (69%) side with one of the arguments offered by supporters of the war since 2005: "Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right thing to do, even if his regime did not possess weapons of mass destruction."

Americans (42%) are more likely than Britons (33%) to claim that the people of Iraq are better off now than when Saddam Hussein was in power. More Britons (21%) than Americans (12%) believe that Iraqis are worse off now than before the war began.

Only 23 per cent of respondents in the two countries believe Iraq will become more stable once foreign troops leave.

The Politicians

For the most part, Britons are dissatisfied with the performance of two prime ministers during the war. Two thirds of respondents (67%) disapprove of the way Tony Blair handed the conflict, and three-in-five (59%) feel the same way about Gordon Brown.

In the United States, a majority of respondents (62%) disapprove of the way President George W. Bush handled the war. The views are more nuanced for current head of state Barack Obama (Approve 50%, Disapprove 40%).

Analysis

The survey shows that the two countries remain troubled by some of the decisions that were made before the Iraq War began. Both Britons and Americans regret the decision to launch military action, but people in the U.S. are not as eager as those in Britain to label the war as a failure.

Former prime ministers Blair and Brown get poor marks from Britons, while the core support for Bush comes from Republicans (67% approve of the way he handled the Iraq War during his presidency). Obama’s performance on Iraq gets praise from Democrats and a scathing review from Republicans. Independents are more likely to disapprove of the current White House dweller on this file (48%) than to approve (42%).

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)  

People in the United States and Britain regret the decision of their respective governments to engage militarily in Iraq in 2003, and are now more likely to brand the war as a failure rather than as a success, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of representative national samples of 1,011 American and 2,006 British adults also finds that at least two thirds of respondents in the two countries agree with the argument that taking action against Saddam Hussein despite the absence of weapons of mass destruction was the right thing t do.

The War in Iraq

Only 23 per cent of Americans believe the war in Iraq was success, along with 12 per cent of Britons.

Conversely, two-in-five Americans (45%) and three-in-five Britons (63%) think the conflict was a failure.

Half of Americans (52%) believe their government made a mistake in launching military action against Iraq in 2003.

Two-thirds of Britons (66%) also chide their own government’s decision to support and participate in the war.

Recently, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg stated that the legality of the Iraq War “has never been proven.” More than half of Americans (55%) and almost three-in-four Britons (73%) share the same point of view.

Large majorities of respondents in the U.S. (63%) and Britain (70%) believe that the Iraq War negatively affected the position and image of their respective countries in the world.

Iraq’s Past and Future

A large proportion of Americans (73%) and Britons (69%) side with one of the arguments offered by supporters of the war since 2005: “Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right thing to do, even if his regime did not possess weapons of mass destruction.”

Americans (42%) are more likely than Britons (33%) to claim that the people of Iraq are better off now than when Saddam Hussein was in power. More Britons (21%) than Americans (12%) believe that Iraqis are worse off now than before the war began.

Only 23 per cent of respondents in the two countries believe Iraq will become more stable once foreign troops leave.

The Politicians

For the most part, Britons are dissatisfied with the performance of two prime ministers during the war. Two thirds of respondents (67%) disapprove of the way Tony Blair handed the conflict, and three-in-five (59%) feel the same way about Gordon Brown.

In the United States, a majority of respondents (62%) disapprove of the way President George W. Bush handled the war. The views are more nuanced for current head of state Barack Obama (Approve 50%, Disapprove 40%).

Analysis

The survey shows that the two countries remain troubled by some of the decisions that were made before the Iraq War began. Both Britons and Americans regret the decision to launch military action, but people in the U.S. are not as eager as those in Britain to label the war as a failure.

Former prime ministers Blair and Brown get poor marks from Britons, while the core support for Bush comes from Republicans (67% approve of the way he handled the Iraq War during his presidency). Obama’s performance on Iraq gets praise from Democrats and a scathing review from Republicans. Independents are more likely to disapprove of the current White House dweller on this file (48%) than to approve (42%).

Download Full Tables – United States

Download Full Tables – Britain

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From August 20 to August 22, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,011 randomly selected American adults who are Springboard USA panelists, and 2,006 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1% in the United States and 2.2% in Britain. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the two countries. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003, when George W. Bush and Tony Blair headed the American and British governments respectively. At least 4,720 coalition soldiers—including 4,402 Americans and 179 Britons—have died during the military operation, and more than 31,800 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

In November 2008, Iraq’s National Assembly ratified the Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. The document established that coalition combat forces would be completely out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.

In February 2009, U.S. president Barack Obama announced his intention to end the combat mission in Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010.

Earlier this month, Democratic New York congressman Charles Rangel discussed the conflict, saying, "I challenge anyone to tell me we aren’t there because of the oil. (…) The lack of an honest explanation [from the current administration for the war] is consistent with Bush and Cheney."

Polling Data

At this moment, do you support or oppose the war in Iraq?

Complete Poll (PDF)

A large proportion of people in the United States and Britain continue to voice opposition to the conflict in Iraq and less than one third express confidence that the timetable for the end of the conflict will be met, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of representative national samples of 2,003 British adults and 1,007 American adults, three-in-five Britons (61%, -7) and more than half of Americans (55%, -3) say they currently oppose the war in Iraq.

Two-in-five Americans (44%, -4) believe the U.S. government made a mistake in launching military action against Iraq in 2003. This view is shared by 57 per cent of Britons (-5).

On both of these indicators, there is a fluctuation towards support for the war and the notion that it was the right decision.

The Future

A security agreement signed between the United States and Iraq calls for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011. Only 28 per cent of Americans (-3)—and 30 per cent of Britons (+9)—are “very confident” or “moderately confident” that the timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops will be met.

In this survey, fewer Americans believe that the timetable established by the Obama Administration will be met, while significantly more Britons expect the withdrawal to happen by the end of 2011.

The public is almost evenly divided on whether the war will be seen as a defeat for the U.S. and its allies (19% in Britain, 17% in the U.S.) or as a victory (17% in Britain, 18% in the U.S.). The vast majority of respondents are undecided, or think the verdict of history will be ambiguous.

Tony Blair

As was the case back in February, a majority of respondents in Britain (56%) and the United States (70%) continue to side with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who claimed earlier this year that removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right thing to do, even if his regime did not possess weapons of mass destruction.

The results of the previous two-country survey on the Iraq War can be found here.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Andy Morris, Research Director, London
+ 44-207-065-7272
andy.morris@angus-reid.com

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From May 25 to May 26, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,007 randomly selected American adults who are Springboard America panelists. From June 4 to June 7, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,003 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/-2.2% in Britain and +/-3.1% in the U.S. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain and the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003, when George W. Bush and Tony Blair headed the American and British governments respectively. At least 4,696 coalition soldiers—including 4,379 Americans and 179 Britons—have died during the military operation, and more than 31,600 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

In November 2008, Iraq’s National Assembly ratified the Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. The document established that coalition combat forces would be completely out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.

In February 2009, U.S. president Barack Obama announced his intention to end the combat mission in Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010.

On Jan. 27, during his State of the Union address, Obama discussed the war in Iraq, saying, "As we take the fight to al-Qaeda, we are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people. But make no mistake: this war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home. (…) We will support the Iraqi government as they hold elections, and continue to partner with the Iraqi people to promote regional peace and prosperity."

Polling Data

A security agreement signed between the United States and Iraq calls for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011. Thinking about this, how confident are you that this timetable will be met?

Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,010 British adults and 1,001 American adults, conducted on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3, 2010. Margins of error range from 2.2 per cent to 3.1 per cent.

Complete Poll (PDF)

As the seventh anniversary of the start of the Iraq War approaches, people in the United States and Great Britain are doubtful about the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, and sizeable proportions regret the decision to launch military action in the first place, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of representative national samples of 2,010 British adults and 1,001 American adults, two thirds of Britons (68%) and more than half of Americans (58%) say they currently oppose the war in Iraq.

Almost half of Americans (48%) believe the U.S. government made a mistake in launching military action against Iraq in 2003. This view is shared by three-in-five Britons (62%).

The Future

A security agreement signed between the United States and Iraq calls for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Only 31 per cent of Americans—and 21 per cent of Britons—are “very confident” or “moderately confident” that the timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops will be met.

One-in-four Britons (24%) believe that the world will look back on the war in Iraq in twenty years and brand it as a defeat for the U.S. and its allies, while 11 per cent claim it will be regarded as a victory. Americans are almost evenly divided in their assessment (18% defeat, 19% victory).

Tony Blair

Recently, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right thing to do, even if his regime did not possess weapons of mass destruction. More than half of Britons (55%) agree with Blair’s statement, along with seven-in-ten Americans (69%).

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Andy Morris, Research Director, London
+ 44-207-065-7272
andy.morris@angus-reid.com

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+604 647 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

In addition, 52 per cent of respondents think that violence will increase in Iraqi cities following the troop reduction. But even if the number of attacks on Iraqi citizens by insurgents were to increase, 63 per cent of respondents think this should not be a reason for American troops to return.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003 during the presidency of George W. Bush. At least 4,324 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 31,350 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

In November 2008, Iraq’s National Assembly ratified the Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. The document established that coalition combat forces would withdraw from Iraqi cities by Jun. 30, 2009, and would be completely out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. The agreement could be revised if the Iraqi prime minister believed Iraq was not stable enough.

On Feb. 27, U.S. president Barack Obama announced his intention to end the combat mission in Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010.

On Jun. 30, in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement, the U.S. withdrew most of its troops from Iraqi cities. About 130,000 soldiers will remain stationed in Iraq, mostly outside urban centres and mainly in advisory and consultative roles.

On Jul. 6, in an official statement, the U.S. government said that Obama believes that "there’s more work to be done. But we’ve made important progress in supporting a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq."

Polling Data

As you may know, the U.S. plans to withdraw most of its combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns and the Iraqi military and police forces will be responsible for maintaining order there. The U.S. will continue to have combat troops in the rest of the country. Do you favour or oppose this plan?

Just your best guess. Do you think that the level of violence in Iraqi cities will increase, decrease, or remain the same when the U.S. withdraws most of its combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns?

If there is a significant increase in the number of attacks on Iraqi citizens by insurgents after the U.S. withdraws its troops from Iraqi cities, do you think the U.S. should or should not send combat troops back into those cities?

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,026 American adults, conducted from Jun. 26 to Jun. 28, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003 during the presidency of George W. Bush. At least 4,324 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 31,300 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

In November 2008, Iraq’s National Assembly ratified the Status of Forces Agreement with the United States. The document established that coalition combat forces would withdraw from Iraqi cities by Jun. 30, 2009, and would be completely out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. The agreement could be revised if the Iraqi prime minister believed Iraq was not stable enough.

On Feb. 27, U.S. president Barack Obama announced his intention to end the combat mission in Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010.

On Jun. 30, in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement, the U.S. withdrew most of its troops from Iraqi cities. About 130,000 soldiers will remain stationed in Iraq, mostly outside urban centres and mainly in advisory and consultative roles.

Obama commented on the occasion, saying it was "an important milestone," and adding, "The Iraqi people are rightly treating this day as cause for celebration."

Polling Data

How would you say things are going for the U.S. in its efforts to bring stability and order to Iraq?

Source: New York Times / CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 895 American adults, conducted from Jun. 12 to Jun. 16, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.