Gallup: 58% Say Iraq War Has Had Overall 'Negative' Impact on Life in US

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Gallup: 58% Say Iraq War Has Had Overall 'Negative' Impact on Life in the USA

NEW YORK While the latest Gallup poll carrying the usual high-profile questions on the Iraq war--was it a mistake? are we winning?--gains the lion's share of attention as the third anniversary of the invasion approaches, the same organization's survey on broader questions has been overlooked.

One rather profound result from this March 10-12 survey, for example, is: 58% of Americans believe the war in Iraq has had a negative effect on life in the United States generally; just 21% say it has had a positive effect. Soon after the war began in 2003, Gallup found almost the opposite results, with 52% saying it had had a positive effect on life in the United States and 18% saying it had had a negative effect.

When asked how the war in Iraq has affected their personal lives, Americans are nearly three times more likely to say it has had a negative (39%) rather than a positive (14%) effect. However, the plurality of Americans, 45%, say it has not had much effect.

The poll also asked Americans if they have "close friends, family members, or coworkers" who have served in Iraq in the U.S. military since the war began. More than half (58%) report knowing someone who served in Iraq, including 12% who say that person was wounded or killed in Iraq and 46% who say that person has not been harmed.