Iraqis: life is getting better / Pessimism 'growing among Iraqis'

Iraqis: life is getting better
Marie Colvin

MOST Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today.

The survey of more than 5,000 Iraqis found the majority optimistic despite their suffering in sectarian violence since the American-led invasion four years ago this week.

One in four Iraqis has had a family member murdered, says the poll by Opinion Research Business. In Baghdad, the capital, one in four has had a relative kidnapped and one in three said members of their family had fled abroad. But when asked whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today.

Only 27% think there is a civil war in Iraq, compared with 61% who do not, according to the survey carried out last month.

By a majority of two to one, Iraqis believe military operations now under way will disarm all militias. More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces.

Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, said the findings pointed to progress. “There is no widespread violence in the four southern provinces and the fact that the picture is more complex than the stereotype usually portrayed is reflected in today’s poll,” she said.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1530762.ece

Pessimism 'growing among Iraqis'
Pollster conducts a survey of Iraqi opinion
Iraqis have become less optimistic about their future, the poll suggests

A new survey paints a pessimistic picture of Iraqis' confidence in their own government and in coalition forces.

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.

About 86% of those questioned expressed concern about someone in their household being a victim of violence.

More than 2,000 people were polled for the study, which was commissioned by the BBC, ABC News, ARD and USA Today.

The survey was conducted by D3 Systems.

The latest findings contrast strongly with the outlook among Iraqis in 2005, when respondents to a similar survey were generally hopeful about the future.

Asked whether they thought reconstruction efforts in Iraq had been effective, some 67% said they felt they had not.

Full details of the survey will be available on this website on Monday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6464277.stm

Few Iraqis trust U.S. forces four years into war

By Claudia Parsons
Reuters
Monday, March 19, 2007; 5:14 AM

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Only 18 percent of Iraqis have confidence in U.S.-
led forces, a new poll showed on Monday, as President Bush faced anti-
war protests at home four years after the invasion that toppled Saddam
Hussein.

-snip-

The poll of more than 2,000 people, commissioned by the BBC, ABC News,
ARD and USA Today, indicated Iraqis have become less optimistic about
the future compared to a similar survey in 2005 when respondents were
generally hopeful, the BBC said.

The Iraqi government inspired more confidence than U.S.-led forces,
with opinion almost evenly split on whether people had confidence in
the U.S.-backed administration headed by Shi'ite Islamist Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

DISAPPOINTMENT

About 86 percent were concerned about someone in their household
being a victim of violence. Iraqis were also disappointed by reconstruction
efforts since the invasion, with 67 percent saying efforts had not been
effective.

-snip-