GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll shows much stability in the public's support for military action against Iraq. The poll, conducted March 3-5, shows 59% of Americans in favor of and 37% opposed to a U.S. invasion of Iraq attempting to remove Saddam Hussein from power. The "needle" on Iraq has not moved in the past few weeks, after showing a slight uptick following both President Bush's State of the Union address and Colin Powell's February speech before the United Nations. Following the Powell speech, 63% approved of military action, but support has fallen back slightly and has stayed at 59% in recent weeks.
| Public Support for Invading Iraq June 2002 – March 2003 |
 |
Similarly, there has been little change in the public's assessment of Iraqi compliance with U.N. requirements, even though Iraq has begun to destroy some of its Al Samoud 2 missiles, as the United Nations required. The new poll shows 84% of Americans do not think Iraq is complying with what the United Nations has required it to do; only 11% believe Iraq is complying. This is essentially unchanged from a poll conducted in January, when 13% said Iraq was complying and 81% said it was not.
War, Economy Most Important Problems
Fear of war, along with the economy, are the two problems Americans most often mention as the most important facing the country, each mentioned (without prompting) by 29% of the public. As recently as last November, just 14% of Americans said fear of war was the greatest problem facing the country. The percentage increased to 20% in December, 31% in January, and 35% last month.
Thirteen percent mention terrorism as the most important problem, placing it third on the list, followed by international issues, at 11%, unemployment (8%), and healthcare (8%).
Fear of war has overtaken terrorism in recent months as a top concern (along with the economy) among the public. The news media have focused a great deal of attention this week on the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a high-ranking member of the al Qaeda terrorist network. However, this arrest has not yet led to a much more positive assessment of the war on terrorism. When asked which side is winning the war, 37% of Americans say the United States and its allies are winning, 17% say the terrorists, and 43% say neither side -- little changed from a Jan. 31-Feb. 2 poll. Not since May 2002 have 4 in 10 Americans thought the United States and its allies were winning, and not since March 2002 has a majority felt the United States was winning.
| Who Is Winning the War on Terrorism? |
 |
President Bush's latest job approval rating is unchanged from the previous poll, with 57% approving and 37% disapproving of the job he is doing as president. For the new year, Bush has averaged a 59% approval rating.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,003 adults, 18 years and older, conducted March 3-5, 2003. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 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.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?
|
|
Disapprove |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2003 |
|||
|
2003 Mar 3-5 |
57 |
37 |
6 |
|
2003 Feb 24-26 |
57 |
37 |
6 |
|
2003 Feb 17-19 |
58 |
37 |
5 |
|
2003 Feb 7-9 |
61 |
34 |
5 |
|
2003 Feb 3-6 |
59 |
35 |
6 |
|
2003 Jan 31-Feb 2 |
61 |
35 |
4 |
|
2003 Jan 23-25 |
60 |
36 |
4 |
|
2003 Jan 20-22 |
58 |
36 |
6 |
|
2003 Jan 13-16 |
61 |
34 |
5 |
|
2003 Jan 10-12 |
58 |
37 |
5 |
|
2003 Jan 3-5 |
63 |
32 |
5 |
|
|
Disapprove |
No |
|
|
2002 |
% |
% |
% |
|
2002 Dec 19-22 |
61 |
32 |
7 |
|
2002 Dec 16-17 |
63 |
33 |
4 |
|
2002 Dec 9-10 |
63 |
32 |
5 |
|
2002 Dec 5-8 |
64 |
29 |
7 |
|
2002 Nov 22-24 |
65 |
28 |
7 |
|
2002 Nov 11-14 |
66 |
26 |
8 |
|
2002 Nov 8-10 |
68 |
27 |
5 |
|
2002 Oct 31-Nov 3 |
63 |
29 |
8 |
|
2002 Oct 21-22 |
67 |
28 |
5 |
|
2002 Oct 14-17 |
62 |
31 |
7 |
|
2002 Oct 3-6 |
67 |
28 |
5 |
|
2002 Sep 23-26 |
68 |
26 |
6 |
|
2002 Sep 20-22 |
66 |
30 |
4 |
|
2002 Sep 13-16 |
70 |
26 |
4 |
|
2002 Sep 5-8 |
66 |
30 |
4 |
|
2002 Sep 2-4 |
66 |
29 |
5 |
|
2002 Aug 19-21 |
65 |
28 |
7 |
|
2002 Aug 5-8 |
68 |
26 |
6 |
|
2002 Jul 29-31 |
71 |
23 |
6 |
|
2002 Jul 26-28 |
69 |
26 |
5 |
|
2002 Jul 22-24 |
69 |
24 |
7 |
|
2002 Jul 9-11 |
73 |
21 |
6 |
|
2002 Jul 5-8 |
76 |
18 |
6 |
|
2002 Jun 28-30 |
76 |
19 |
5 |
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
73 |
21 |
6 |
|
2002 Jun 17-19 |
74 |
20 |
6 |
|
2002 Jun 7-8 |
74 |
18 |
8 |
|
2002 Jun 3-6 |
70 |
23 |
7 |
|
2002 May 28-29 |
77 |
17 |
6 |
|
2002 May 20-22 |
76 |
17 |
7 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
76 |
19 |
5 |
|
2002 Apr 29-May 1 |
77 |
20 |
3 |
|
2002 Apr 22-24 |
77 |
17 |
6 |
|
2002 Apr 8-11 |
75 |
20 |
5 |
|
2002 Apr 5-7 |
76 |
19 |
5 |
|
2002 Mar 22-24 |
79 |
17 |
4 |
|
2002 Mar 18-20 |
79 |
16 |
5 |
|
2002 Mar 8-9 |
80 |
14 |
6 |
|
2002 Mar 4-7 |
77 |
18 |
5 |
|
2002 Mar 1-3 |
81 |
14 |
5 |
|
2002 Feb 8-10 |
82 |
14 |
4 |
|
2002 Feb 4-6 |
82 |
14 |
4 |
|
2002 Jan 25-27 |
84 |
13 |
3 |
|
2002 Jan 11-14 |
83 |
13 |
4 |
|
2002 Jan 7-9 |
84 |
12 |
4 |
|
|
Disapprove |
No |
|
|
2001 |
% |
% |
% |
|
2001 Dec 14-16 |
86 |
11 |
3 |
|
2001 Dec 6-9 |
86 |
10 |
4 |
|
2001 Nov 26-27 |
87 |
8 |
5 |
|
2001 Nov 8-11 |
87 |
9 |
4 |
|
2001 Nov 2-4 |
87 |
9 |
4 |
|
2001 Oct 19-21 |
88 |
9 |
3 |
|
2001 Oct 11-14 |
89 |
8 |
3 |
|
2001 Oct 5-6 |
87 |
10 |
3 |
|
2001 Sep 21-22 |
90 |
6 |
4 |
|
2001 Sep 14-15 |
86 |
10 |
4 |
|
2001 Sep 7-10 |
51 |
39 |
10 |
|
2001 Aug 24-26 |
55 |
36 |
9 |
|
2001 Aug 16-19 |
57 |
34 |
9 |
|
2001 Aug 10-12 |
57 |
35 |
8 |
|
2001 Aug 3-5 |
55 |
35 |
10 |
|
2001 Jul 19-22 |
56 |
33 |
11 |
|
2001 Jul 10-11 |
57 |
35 |
8 |
|
2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
52 |
34 |
14 |
|
2001 Jun 11-17 |
55 |
33 |
12 |
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
55 |
35 |
10 |
|
2001 May 18-20 |
56 |
36 |
8 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
56 |
31 |
13 |
|
2001 May 7-9 |
53 |
33 |
14 |
|
2001 Apr 20-22 |
62 |
29 |
9 |
|
2001 Apr 6-8 |
59 |
30 |
11 |
|
2001 Mar 26-28 |
53 |
29 |
18 |
|
2001 Mar 9-11 |
58 |
29 |
13 |
|
2001 Mar 5-7 |
63 |
22 |
15 |
|
2001 Feb 19-21 |
62 |
21 |
17 |
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
57 |
25 |
18 |
|
2001 Feb 1-4 |
57 |
25 |
18 |
What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today? [Open-ended]
|
Mar |
Feb |
Jan |
Dec |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET) |
38 |
46 |
41 |
38 |
|
Economy in general |
29 |
34 |
26 |
30 |
|
Unemployment/jobs |
8 |
10 |
10 |
7 |
|
Taxes |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
High cost of living/inflation |
1 |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
Fuel/Oil prices |
1 |
-- |
1 |
-- |
|
Federal budget deficit/federal debt |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
Corporate corruption |
* |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
Recession |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
Lack of money |
* |
* |
-- |
-- |
|
Wage issues |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
Gap between rich and poor |
-- |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
NON-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET) |
78 |
70 |
73 |
74 |
|
Fear of war/feelings of fear in this country |
29 |
35 |
31 |
20 |
|
Terrorism |
13 |
10 |
10 |
18 |
|
International issues/ problems |
11 |
7 |
9 |
3 |
|
Poor healthcare/hospitals; high cost of healthcare |
8 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
|
Education/poor education/access to education |
6 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
|
Ethics/moral/religious/family decline; dishonesty; lack of integrity |
6 |
4 |
6 |
9 |
|
Dissatisfaction with government/ Congress/ politicians/ candidates; Poor leadership; corruption |
5 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
|
National security |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Poverty/ hunger/ homelessness |
3 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
|
Judicial system/courts/laws |
2 |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
Crime/violence |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Foreign aid/focus overseas |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Medicare/Social Security issues |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
|
Drugs |
1 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Care for the elderly |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Immigration/illegal aliens |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
The media |
1 |
* |
1 |
* |
|
Child abuse |
1 |
* |
* |
* |
|
Environment/ pollution |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Unifying the country |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
Lack of energy sources; the energy crisis |
* |
* |
1 |
* |
|
Lack of military defense |
* |
-- |
* |
* |
|
Abortion |
* |
1 |
* |
* |
|
Race relations/ racism |
* |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
Children's behavior/way they are raised |
* |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
AIDS |
* |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Welfare |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
Lack of respect for each other |
* |
-- |
1 |
1 |
|
Overpopulation |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
Space shuttle disaster/NASA |
-- |
1 |
-- |
-- |
|
Guns/gun control |
-- |
-- |
-- |
* |
|
School shootings/school violence |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Other non-economic |
2 |
1 |
6 |
8 |
|
No opinion |
3 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
|
Total |
146% |
143% |
142% |
147% |
|
* Less than 0.5% |
||||
Would you favor or oppose invading Iraq with U.S. ground troops in an attempt to remove Saddam Hussein from power?
|
Favor |
Oppose |
No opinion |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
||
|
2003 Mar 3-5 |
59 |
37 |
4 |
|
|
2003 Feb 24-26 |
59 |
37 |
4 |
|
|
2003 Feb 17-19 |
59 |
38 |
3 |
|
|
2003 Feb 7-9 |
63 |
34 |
3 |
|
|
2003 Jan 31-Feb 2 |
58 |
38 |
4 |
|
|
2003 Jan 23-25 |
52 |
43 |
5 |
|
|
2003 Jan 10-12 |
56 |
38 |
6 |
|
|
2003 Jan 3-5 ^ |
56 |
39 |
5 |
|
|
2002 Dec 19-22 ^ |
53 |
38 |
9 |
|
|
2002 Dec 16-17 ^ |
58 |
35 |
7 |
|
|
2002 Dec 9-10 |
55 |
39 |
6 |
|
|
2002 Nov 22-24 |
58 |
37 |
5 |
|
|
2002 Nov 8-10 |
59 |
35 |
6 |
|
|
2002 Oct 21-22 |
54 |
40 |
6 |
|
|
2002 Oct 14-17 ^ |
56 |
37 |
7 |
|
|
2002 Oct 3-6 |
53 |
40 |
7 |
|
|
2002 Sep 20-22 ^ |
57 |
38 |
5 |
|
|
2002 Sep 13-16 † |
57 |
39 |
4 |
|
|
2002 Sep 5-8 ^ † |
58 |
36 |
6 |
|
|
2002 Sep 2-4 † |
58 |
36 |
6 |
|
|
2002 Aug 19-21 † |
53 |
41 |
6 |
|
|
2002 Jun 17-19 ^ † |
61 |
31 |
8 |
|
|
2001 Nov 26-27 ‡ |
74 |
20 |
6 |
|
|
2001 Feb 19-21 ‡ |
52 |
42 |
6 |
|
|
1993 Jun 29-30 ‡ |
70 |
27 |
3 |
|
|
1992 Mar 30-Apr 5 ‡ ? |
55 |
40 |
5 |
|
|
^ |
Asked of half sample |
|||
|
† |
WORDING: Would you favor or oppose sending American ground troops to the Persian Gulf in an attempt to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq? |
|||
|
‡ |
WORDING: Would you favor or oppose sending American troops back to the Persian Gulf in order to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq? |
|||
|
? |
Life Magazine/Gallup |
|||
Who do you think is currently winning the war against terrorism -- [ROTATED: the U.S. and its allies, neither side, or the terrorists]?
BASED ON -- 505 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A
|
U.S. and |
Neither |
The |
No |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
||
|
2003 Mar 3-5 ^ |
37 |
43 |
17 |
3 |
|
|
2003 Jan 31-Feb 2 ^ |
35 |
44 |
16 |
5 |
|
|
2002 Dec 5-8 ^ |
33 |
46 |
19 |
2 |
|
|
2002 Oct 14-17 ^ |
32 |
44 |
21 |
3 |
|
|
2002 Aug 5-8 ^ |
37 |
46 |
14 |
3 |
|
|
2002 Jul 5-8 |
39 |
43 |
16 |
2 |
|
|
2002 Jun 21-23 |
33 |
49 |
14 |
4 |
|
|
2002 May 28-29 |
41 |
35 |
15 |
9 |
|
|
2002 Apr 22-24 |
47 |
39 |
10 |
4 |
|
|
2002 Mar 22-24 |
51 |
35 |
12 |
2 |
|
|
2002 Mar 4-7 |
53 |
34 |
10 |
3 |
|
|
2002 Jan 7-9 ^ |
66 |
25 |
7 |
2 |
|
|
2001 Dec 6-9 |
64 |
28 |
5 |
3 |
|
|
2001 Nov 8-11 ^ |
53 |
33 |
11 |
3 |
|
|
2001 Oct 11-14 |
42 |
44 |
11 |
3 |
|
|
^ |
Asked of a half sample. |
||||
Do you think Iraq is -- or is not -- complying with what the United Nations has required it to do so far?
BASED ON -- 498 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B
|
Yes, complying |
No, not |
No opinion |
||
|
2003 Mar 3-5 ^ |
11% |
84 |
5 |
|
|
2003 Jan 23-25 |
13% |
81 |
6 |
|
|
^ |
Asked of a half sample |
|||
