GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' views of the war in Iraq have turned more negative in recent weeks, continuing a trend that began shortly after the Iraqi elections. Fifty-seven percent of Americans now say it was not worth going to war in Iraq -- the most negative results Gallup has recorded on this measure. A majority of Americans now say things are going badly for the United States in Iraq, a switch from the post-election period in Iraq, when a majority gave a positive assessment of the situation there. Americans are more divided as to whether or not it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq, and President George W. Bush's job approval rating on Iraq has settled back down to the low 40% range after reaching 50% immediately following the Iraqi elections.
Majority of Americans Say Iraq War Was not "Worth It"
The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted April 29 - May 1, shows that only 41% of Americans say it was worth going to war in Iraq, while a majority of Americans, 57%, say it was not worth it. This is the lowest level of support that Gallup has found on this question since the war started in March 2003.
Over the course of this year, the results to this question have shown modest fluctuations. In early January, a slim majority of Americans, 52%, said the war was not worth it. Then, Americans were more divided in their views in early February, with 48% saying it was worth it and 50% saying it was not. At the beginning of April, Americans became more negative, with 45% saying it was worth it and 53% saying it was not worth it, and the most recent poll finds views growing still more negative.
Public Divided as to Whether It Was a "Mistake to Send Troops to Iraq"
While a clear majority of Americans believe the war effort was not worth it, the public is more reluctant to term the decision to send troops a "mistake." Gallup's other basic measure of support for the war is now evenly divided, with 49% saying it was a mistake to send troops and 48% saying it was not.
Since the start of the year, this question's trend shows greater fluctuation. In mid-January, more Americans said it was a mistake (52%) to send troops than said it was not a mistake (47%). That changed when Americans became much more positive about the situation in Iraq following the elections in that country at the end of January, with the majority (55%) then saying it was not a mistake and 45% saying it was. Since then, positive assessments have receded, and now the percent who believe the war was not a mistake has fallen back below 50%.
Majority of Americans Say War in Iraq Going "Badly"
A majority of Americans, 56%, say things are currently going badly for the United States in Iraq, while just 42% say things are going well. These results show a shift in opinion during the past several months, although views were more negative at the start of the year.
In February and March polls, following the elections in Iraq, a slight majority of Americans -- 53% in early February and 52% in mid-March -- said things were going well in Iraq. Fewer than half said things were going badly in those two polls. At the beginning of the year, however, views on this measure were much more negative, with 40% saying things were going well and 59% saying things were going badly for the United States in Iraq.
Americans are now four times as likely to say things are going "very badly" (25%) than to say they are going "very well" (6%).
Bush Approval on Iraq Holds Steady at 42%
A majority of Americans, 55%, disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, while 42% approve. Bush began the year with the same 42% approval rating, which is in line with the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, but saw it spike to 50% following the Iraq elections. Since that time it has declined, falling five percentage points by late February and three additional percentage points since then.
Nearly Half of Americans Say U.S. Soldiers Have Stopped Abusing Iraqi Prisoners
A year ago, Americans also gave quite negative assessments of the war. That is in part due to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal involving American soldiers, many of whom are now facing trial. More than 6 in 10 Americans say the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers bothers them a "great deal" or a "fair amount" -- down significantly since Gallup asked this question last year when the media first reported the cases of prisoner abuse. At that time, nearly 8 in 10 Americans were bothered a great deal (54%) or fair amount (25%) by the abuse.
Although most Americans are still bothered by these incidents, nearly half of Americans, 49%, say U.S. soldiers have stopped abusing Iraqi prisoners. Thirty-seven percent say soldiers are still abusing Iraqi prisoners in a similar way today.
Survey Methods
Results in the current survey are based on telephone interviews with 1,006 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted April 29 - May 1, 2005. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. For results based on the 492 national adults in the Form A half-sample and 514 national adults in the Form B half-sample, the maximum margins of sampling error are ±5 percentage points.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.