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Pessimism 'growing among Iraqis' Pessimism 'growing among Iraqis'
(about 2 hours later)
A new survey paints a pessimistic picture of Iraqis' confidence in their own government and in coalition forces. A new survey carried out in Iraq suggests people are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future and unhappy about their lives.
Only 18% of Iraqis have confidence in US and coalition troops, while opinion is almost evenly split on whether to have confidence in Iraq's government. Less than 40% of those polled said things were good in their lives, compared to 71% two years ago.
About 86% of those questioned expressed concern about someone in their household being a victim of violence. However, a majority of those questioned said that, despite daily violence, they did not believe Iraq was in a state of civil war.
More than 2,000 people were questioned. The poll was commissioned by the BBC, ABC News, ARD German TV and USA Today. More than 2,000 people took part in the BBC/ABC News poll.
The survey was conducted by D3 Systems. class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/6451841.stm">Iraq poll in graphics class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/6454251.stm">Iraqis want pullout but not now The poll paints a picture of an increasingly polarised Iraq, with acutely diverging views between Sunni Arabs and Shias - Sunnis appearing more pessimistic.
The latest findings contrast strongly with the outlook among Iraqis in 2005, when respondents to a similar survey were generally hopeful about the future. There are also regional differences, with pessimism most keenly felt across central Iraq, including Baghdad, where Sunni Arabs are most numerous.
Asked whether they thought reconstruction efforts in Iraq had been effective, some 67% said they felt they had not. But despite their differences, 58% overall said they wanted Iraq to remain a unified country. Almost all said they did not want Iraqi to be broken up along sectarian lines.
Religious divide The poll produced conflicting views on the role of the US and its allies.
The poll paints a picture of an increasingly polarised Iraq, with acutely diverging views between Sunnis and Shias - Sunnis appearing more pessimistic. Only 18% said they had confidence in US and coalition troops, and 51% said they thought attacks on coalition forces were justified.
Pessimism is most keenly felt across central Iraq, including Baghdad, where Sunnis are most numerous. However, only 35% said foreign troops should leave Iraq now. A further 63% said they should go only after security has improved.
HAVE YOUR SAY Give Iraq back to Iraqis. Let them decide how to tackle their problems Mohsin Naqvi, Karachi, Pakistan class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=5805&edition=2&ttl=20070318220833">Send us your comments Religious differences are particularly displayed in attitudes towards the execution of Saddam Hussein. 'Deteriorating lives'
Sunnis questioned largely regarded the manner of the former Iraqi leader's death as inappropriate and unlikely to help the cause of reconciliation; Shias predominantly took the opposite view. The poll was commissioned by the BBC, ABC News, ARD German TV and USA Today. It was conducted by D3 Systems.
No one however wanted Iraq divided along sectarian lines. People were questioned in more than 450 neighbourhoods and villages across all 18 provinces between 25 February and 5 March.
Full details of the poll will be available on this website at 1200 GMT on Monday. The findings contrast sharply with those of a similar poll in 2005, a year when elections were taking place.
Asked now whether they thought reconstruction efforts in Iraq had been effective, some 67% said they felt they had not.
And just 38% said the situation in the country was better than before the 2003 war, while 50% said it was worse.
Many said the quality of their lives was deteriorating, with a particularly high proportion (88%) saying electricity and fuel supplies were poor.
READ THE FINDINGS Iraq Poll 2007 [468KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here Send us your comments
Security remains a serious concern, with only 26% saying they felt safe in their own neighbourhoods.
More than half of those polled said that they have not gone to markets or crowded areas and often stayed at home in order to avoid trouble.
Many said they often stopped their children from going to school.
Ethnic divide
Ethnic differences were particularly evident in attitudes towards the execution of Saddam Hussein, who was a Sunni leader in a predominantly Shia state.
WAS US RIGHT TO INVADE IRAQ? Absolutely right: 2007: 22% 2005: 19% 2004: 20%Somewhat right: 2007: 25%2005: 28%2004: 29%Somewhat wrong: 2007: 19%2005: 17%2004: 13%Absolutely wrong:2007: 34%2005: 33%2004: 26%Refused/don't know:2007: 0%2005: 4%2004: 13%
Of Sunni Arabs questioned, more than 95% said they regarded the manner of his death as inappropriate and unlikely to help the cause of reconciliation.
Shias predominantly took the opposite view - 82% said the manner of death was appropriate.
But considerably fewer - 62% - thought his execution would lead to reconciliation.
A large number of Sunnis, 48%, said they thought Iraq should have a strong leader in five years' time, compared to 46% who said they wanted a democracy.
Only 11% of Shias sought a strong leader, with 52% calling for democracy and 37% for an Islamic state.