July 03, 2003

Abstract: (CPOD) Jul. 3, 2003 - Many Americans believe their government was not fully truthful in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, according to a poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes. While only 10 per cent of respondents believe the government presented false evidence, 52 per cent say the current administration stretched the truth in assessing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

(CPOD) Jul. 3, 2003 - Many Americans believe their government was not fully truthful in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, according to a poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes. While only 10 per cent of respondents believe the government presented false evidence, 52 per cent say the current administration stretched the truth in assessing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

The case for war was also boosted by alleged links between the regime of Saddam Hussein and terrorist group al-Qaeda. Only seven per cent of respondents believe there is no connection between both entities, but 25 per cent say Iraq was directly involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Polling Data

What is your assessment of the United States government's presentation of evidence regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

Was fully truthful	32%
Stretched the truth, without making false statements	52%
Presented evidence they knew was false	10%

What do you think best describes the relationship between the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda terrorist organization?

	Jun. 2003	Feb. 2003
No connection at all	7%	7%
Al-Qaeda members had contact with Iraqi officials	26%	29%
Iraq gave substantial support to al-Qaeda	36%	36%
Iraq was directly involved in the Sept. 11 attacks	25%	20%

Source: Program on International Policy Attitudes
Methodology: Interviews to 1,051 American adults, conducted from Jun. 18 to Jun. 25, 2003. Margin of error is 3 per cent.