Polls & Research
Archive Search
Iraq in Civil War for 68% of Americans
- Most adults in the United States express concerns about the level of sectarian violence in Iraq, according to a poll by Harris Interactive. 68 per cent of respondents believe there is a civil war in the country.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,889 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 21,900 troops have been wounded in action.
In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.
On Nov. 30 in a meeting with al-Maliki, U.S. president George W. Bush talked about the current situation, saying, "The prime minister and I also discussed the review of our strategy in Iraq that is now nearing completion. I assured the prime minister that our review is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the sovereign government of Iraq to meet their objectives, which we share."
Bush refused to set a date for the end of the coalition effort, adding, "All that does is set people up for unrealistic expectations." 51 per cent of respondents would like the U.S. government to set a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, 18 per cent would remove all soldiers now, and 19 per cent would send more troops to stabilize the situation.
Polling Data
Do you believe there is a civil war in Iraq now?
Yes, is civil war | 68% |
No, is not | 14% |
Not sure | 18% |
Which of the following possible scenarios would you like to see the U.S. government undertake with regard to Iraq?
Withdraw all troops now | 18% |
Set a timetable for withdrawal | 51% |
Send more troops to Iraq to stabilize the situation | 19% |
Not sure | 12% |
Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,429 American adults, conducted from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20, 2006. Margin of error is 2 per cent.