Britons Call for Investigation into Megrahi’s Release from Prison
Two fifths of respondents think there is a link between the Lockerbie bomber’s release and the financial interests of BP.
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(07/29/10) -
Two fifths of respondents think there is a link between the Lockerbie bomber’s release and the financial interests of BP.
Most people in Britain condemn the release from prison of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi and want the British government to investigate the decision, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,992 British adults, three quarters of respondents (75%) oppose the release of Megrahi, a Libyan national, which was conceded on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government citing the prisoner’s poor health condition.
Megrahi had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years for his role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988.
Many Britons (41%) believe that the Scottish government’s decision to let Megrahi out of prison has something to do with the commercial interests of the British oil company BP, which has major operations in Libya.
Two thirds of respondents (65%) want the British Government to launch an investigation into Megrahi’s release. Notably, while support for a government investigation into this case is high across Britain, it is lower in London (59%) and Scotland (53%).
Respondents in Scotland are also more likely than others to support the original decision to allow Megrahi leave jail (31%, compared to less than 23% elsewhere in Britain).
Consult our August 2009 poll on Megrahi’s release here.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
Download Methodology Statement
CONTACT:
Andy Morris, Research Director, London
+ 44-207-065-7272
andy.morris@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From July 20 to July 23, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,992 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.
