February 12, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe the end of the coalition effort would directly help their country, according to a poll by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press. 48 per cent of respondents think pulling out of Iraq would greatly help fix the U.S.’s economic problems.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe the end of the coalition effort would directly help their country, according to a poll by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press. 48 per cent of respondents think pulling out of Iraq would greatly help fix the U.S.’s economic problems.

Increasing spending on domestic programs like health care, education, and housing is second on the list of ideas with 43 per cent, followed by cutting taxes with 36 per cent, and putting more money into the hands of poor people with 29 per cent.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,960 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 29,000 troops have been wounded in action.

Last year, defaults on so-called subprime mortgages—credit given to high-risk borrowers—have caused volatility in domestic and financial markets and raised concerns that the U.S. economy could fall into a recession.

On Feb. 10, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "I think the experts would tell you we are not in recession. And they would tell you that there is a lot of uncertainty. And therefore the question is, what do you do about it? And I worked with Congress, members of both parties, to pass a robust pro-growth package. (...) What I don’t want to do, however, is to overreact and leave behind regulations that would hurt future economic growth."

Polling Data

People have suggested various ways that the government could act to try to fix the economy. How much do you think each of the following would help fix the country’s economic problems; a great deal, some, only a little, or no help at all?

	A great deal	Some	Only a little	No help at all
Pulling out of Iraq	48%	20%	13%	18%
Increasing spending on domestic programs like health care, education, and housing	43%	27%	16%	14%
Cutting taxes	36%	32%	18%	13%
Putting more money into the hands of poor people	29%	27%	26%	17%

Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,006 American adults, conducted from Feb. 4 to Feb. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.