(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their government’s decision to launch the coalition effort was wrong, according to a poll by CBS News. 51 per cent of respondents think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq, down two points since September.

In addition, 45 per cent of respondents think large numbers of U.S. troops will have to remain in Iraq for less than a year, while 44 per cent expect a longer deployment.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,837 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and at least 28,300 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.

Last month, 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.

On Oct. 23, Bush discussed the global war on terror, saying, "Our Armed Forces have captured or killed thousands of extremists and radicals. We have removed terrorist regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq that had supported terrorists and threatened our citizens. In these two nations we liberated 50 million people from unspeakable tyranny, and now we’re helping them build stable democracies that can govern justly and protect their citizens, and serve as allies in this war against extremists and radicals."

Polling Data

Looking back, do you think the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, or should the U.S. have stayed out?

How much longer do you think large numbers of U.S. troops will have to remain in Iraq: for less than a year, one to two years, two to five years, or will U.S. troops have to stay in Iraq for longer than five years?

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,143 American registered voters, conducted from Oct. 12 to Oct. 16, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.