POLL ANALYSES December 15, 2003
Americans Consider Saddam Capture "Major Achievement," but War Support Unchanged Most Americans say capture won't affect their vote for president
by Frank Newport
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Questions and answers about the impact of Saddam Hussein's capture on American public opinion, based on the results of a special instant-reaction CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted on Sunday, Dec. 14:
1. Do Americans view the capture of Saddam Hussein as a significant achievement?
Yes. More than 8 out of 10 Americans consider Hussein's capture to be a major achievement for the United States, and only 6% say that it is not an achievement at all:
As you may know, U.S. soldiers captured Saddam Hussein in Iraq early this morning. Do you consider finding Saddam Hussein to be a major achievement for the United States, a minor achievement, or not an achievement at all?
Major achievement 82%
Minor achievement 11%
Not an achievement at all 6%
No opinion 1%
2. Will the capture increase the public's overall support for the war in Iraq?
Not necessarily. Despite the public's willingness to agree that Hussein's capture is a major achievement for the United States, the Sunday poll shows no immediate evidence that there will be a substantial increase in the percentage of Americans who agree with the basic premise of the war.
It's important to note that support for the war had been steadily increasing in the weeks and months leading up to Sunday's capture of Hussein. The percentage of the public who felt that the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over had increased from 50% in September to 59% in the Dec. 5-7 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. Sunday's special instant-reaction poll shows just a slight three-point increase, to 62%, well within the polls' margins of error.
[full details at <http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr031215.asp>]
[ABC/Wash Post]
A Sober Response to Saddam's Capture; Most Say Difficult Challenges Remain ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST POLL: SADDAM'S CAPTURE 12/14/03 http://abcnews.go.com/images/pdf/940a1SaddamCaptured.pdf