September 12, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their federal government’s decision to increase the number of soldiers in Iraq has not yielded positive results, according to a review of four recent public opinion polls. In a survey by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News, 58 per cent of respondents think the surge in troops has not made much difference in the situation in Iraq.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their federal government’s decision to increase the number of soldiers in Iraq has not yielded positive results, according to a review of four recent public opinion polls. In a survey by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News, 58 per cent of respondents think the surge in troops has not made much difference in the situation in Iraq.

In a study by Gallup released by USA Today, 44 per cent of respondents believe the recent surge of U.S. troops in Iraq is not making much of a difference.

In a poll by CBS News, 45 per cent of respondents think the additional troops are making no impact in Iraq.

In a survey by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press, 58 per cent of respondents believe sending more troops to Iraq has not helped stabilize the situation there.

The number of Americans who think the surge has made the situation in Iraq better increased by six points in both the TNS/Washington Post/ABC News study and the CBS News poll. The Gallup/USA Today survey shows a five-point reduction in the number of respondents who think the surge made the situation in Iraq worse.

All surveys were conducted before 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 on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,773 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 27,700 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.

On Sept. 10, Republican Oregon senator Gordon Smith expressed disappointment with the current state of affairs, saying, "The sad truth is that the surge cannot win the peace; only Iraqi leaders are capable of stopping the bloodshed. The United States should not hand over the keys of American military and foreign policy to an Iraqi government that will not govern. The stakes are too high. America’s mission is the war on terror. Our troops should be fighting al-Qaeda, not another country’s civil war."

Polling Data

a) As you may know U.S. president George W. Bush has sent approximately 28,000 additional U.S. military forces to try to restore civil order in parts of Iraq. Do you think this increase in U.S. forces has made the situation in Iraq better, worse, or hasn’t made much difference?

 

	Sept. 2007	Jul. 2007
Better	28%	22%
Worse	12%	19%
Not much difference	58%	56%
Unsure	2%	3%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News

Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,002 American adults, conducted from Sept. 4 to Sept. 7, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

b) Based on what you have heard or read about the recent surge of U.S. troops in Iraq, do you think the increase in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is making the situation there better, not making much difference, or is it making the situation there worse?

	Sept. 8	Aug. 5
Better	32%	31%
Not making much difference	44%	41%
Worse	19%	24%
No opinion	5%	4%

Source: Gallup / USA Today

Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,028 American adults, conducted on Sept. 7 and Sept. 8, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

c) As you may know, the U.S. has sent more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. From what you have heard or read, would you say this troop increase is making the situation in Iraq better, making it worse, or is it having no impact on the situation in Iraq so far?

 

	Sept. 2007	Aug. 2007
Better	35%	29%
Worse	12%	15%
No Impact	45%	46%
Unsure	8%	10%

Source: CBS News

Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,036 American adults, conducted from Sept. 4 to Sept. 8, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

d) As you may know, this year additional U.S. troops were sent to Iraq. Do you think sending more troops to Iraq has helped stabilize the situation there, or not?

Yes	36%
No	58%
Not sure	6%

Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press

Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Sept. 6 to Sept. 9, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.