Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

American Majority Sees Iraq War as a Mistake

November 25, 2007
Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most adults in the United States question their federal government’s decision to launch the coalition effort, according to a poll by Knowledge Networks released by the Associated Press and Yahoo. 62 per cent of respondents think the U.S. made a made a mistake in going to war in Iraq.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most adults in the United States question their federal government’s decision to launch the coalition effort, according to a poll by Knowledge Networks released by the Associated Press and Yahoo. 62 per cent of respondents think the U.S. made a made a mistake in going to war in Iraq.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,874 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 28,400 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 September, commander of the Multi-National Force - Iraq David Petraeus and U.S. ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker provided a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Iraq to the U.S. Congress. In addition, U.S. president George W. Bush said U.S. forces in Iraq would be reduced by 5,700 troops in December, and announced the possibility of a further decrease in July 2008.

Yesterday, the Australian Labour Party (ALP) won the legislative election in the country, effectively ending the 11-year tenure of Liberal leader John Howard. ALP leader Kevin Rudd has vowed to remove Australia’s 515 combat troops from Iraq by mid-2008.

Polling Data

All in all, thinking about how things have gone in Iraq since the United States went to war there in March 2003, do you think the United States…

Made the right decision in going to war in Iraq

37%

Made a mistake in going to war in Iraq

62%

Refused / Not Answered

1%

Source: Knowledge Networks / Associated Press / Yahoo
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,230 American adults, conducted from Nov. 2 to Nov. 12, 2007. Margin of error is 2.1 per cent.