Support for the War in Iraq
A new Gallup Poll, conducted April 5-8, finds a drop in public support for the war in Iraq. The poll, taken amid increasing violence in several areas of Iraq, finds the public divided on whether the war was worth it. Half of all Americans now say it was worth going to war, while 47% say it was not worth it. A poll conducted two weeks before the latest survey found 56% of Americans supporting the war in Iraq.
On two previous occasions, Gallup has measured an evenly divided public on this issue -- in late January, immediately following the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, and last September, two weeks after President George W. Bush addressed the nation on increasing difficulties in Iraq and announced he would ask Congress for an additional $87 billion for the U.S. efforts there.
When Americans are asked to assess how well things are going for the United States in Iraq, 64% say either "very badly" (33%) or "moderately badly" (31%). This is up from 43% who felt that way a month ago. Currently, just 35% of Americans believe things are going either "very well" or "moderately well," down from 55% last month. This is the most negative reading measured by Gallup since major fighting ended last year.
U.S. Troops in Iraq
The latest poll shows a significant change in the public's attitudes on U.S. troops in Iraq. Now, 46% of Americans say they would prefer to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq -- including 28% who want to withdraw all of them -- up from 16% who expressed this view in a Jan. 2-5 poll. Alternatively, 29% of Americans say the number of U.S. troops in Iraq should be kept the same as now, while 20% want to increase the number of troops.
Given the recent fighting in Iraq, some liberal and conservative commentators have suggested that the United States must either increase the number of troops to provide more security, or withdraw. The public is more disposed to withdrawing (46%) than increasing troops (20%), though public sentiment could become more supportive if the president decides to make the case for additional forces.
The Nation's Most Important Problem
The latest update of Gallup's long-term trend on the most important problem facing the country shows the situation in Iraq and fear of war at the top of the list this month, mentioned by 26% of Americans. The percentage of Americans naming the situation in Iraq as the most important problem increased 15-points since last month. Polling over the past two months had shown the economy as the nation's top problem. Now, general mentions of the economy place behind Iraq, at 22%, followed by jobs and unemployment (at 17%) and terrorism (at 13%).