American Public Opinion About Iraq Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Most Americans think it is likely that Iraq indeed did have weapons of mass destruction (WMD) before the Iraq war began in March, although the number of Americans who are certain about this has dropped since February. A slight majority of the public, however, is still willing to support the idea of congressional hearings into what the government knew about Iraq's capabilities to produce WMD at the time the United States went to war. President George W. Bush's ratings on handling the situation with Iraq have declined, from 76% immediately following the end of the major fighting in Iraq, to 63% in a new Gallup Poll.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
A recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds that well over 8 out of 10 Americans believe it is likely true or they are certain it is true that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and the facilities to create such weapons before the war, and that Iraq was also trying to develop nuclear weapons prior to the war. These broad sentiments have changed relatively little since February.
But there has been a slightly more significant drop since February in the number of Americans who claim to be certain about Iraq's possession of such weapons. In February, 55% said they were certain that Iraq had facilities to create WMD before the war. Now, the percentage of Americans who are certain has dropped to 44%. It is important, however, to note that more than 4 out of 10 Americans continue to say, even now, they are certain that Iraq had WMD and the facilities to create WMD before the war, and 36% continue to be certain that Iraq was trying to develop nuclear weapons before the war. The data suggest that the average American continues to believe the Bush administration's assertions about WMD that provided much of the initial rationale for the war in Iraq.
Misleading the Public?
Roughly two-thirds of Americans do not believe the Bush administration deliberately misled the public when it stressed that Iraq had WMD, and that this was cause for war if the Iraqi regime did not allow full and open inspections. Only about a third of Americans believe the administration deliberately misled the public.
Congressional Hearings
Slightly more than half of the public supports the idea of congressional hearings into what the government knew about Iraq's capabilities to produce weapons of mass destruction at the time the United States went to war.
George W. Bush's Approval on Iraq
The latest Gallup Poll, conducted June 12-15, finds a 13-percentage-point decrease over the last two months in Bush's approval ratings on handing the situation with Iraq. When the major fighting in Iraq ended in April, roughly three in four Americans said they approved of his handling of Iraq. Public approval of Bush's handling of Iraq has now dropped to 63%, or roughly 6 in 10 Americans.
Other Developments * Americans appear fairly content with how things are going in post-war Iraq. Overall, 70% say things are going either "very" or "moderately" well for the United States in Iraq, while just 29% say either "moderately" or "very" badly. * Only 8% of Republicans feel the Bush administration deliberately misled the public about the situation with Iraq, compared with 37% of independents and 48% of Democrats.