Introduction


A poll commissioned by the BBC in association with other international broadcasters of the views of Iraqis a year after the US-led war.

2,652 Iraqis were surveyed.

War views


Opinions about the war varied considerably, as this graph shows. In a separate question about the overall impact of the war, 41.2% of those asked said they felt the war humiliated Iraq, while 41.8% said it had liberated the country. Another 17% said it was difficult to say either way.

Security


Security was the greatest concern, with 64% saying it was their highest priority for next year. Opinion was split about who should be responsible, with an Iraqi government scoring highest. Creating job opportunities was rated more likely to improve security effectively than hiring more police or handing power to an Iraqi government.

Public trust


Iraq’s religious leaders scored the highest level of confidence, closely followed by the police and the new Iraqi army. At the other end of the scale, more than 40% of those questioned said they had no confidence at all in the US/UK occupation forces.

Coalition troops


More than half those asked were opposed to the presence of coalition forces, although 39% supported their presence. While 15% said the troops should leave Iraq immediately, 36% said they should stay until an Iraqi government was in place. Most respondents rejected violence, but 17% said they considered attacks on coalition forces acceptable.

What Iraq needs


When asked what Iraq needs at this time, those surveyed expressed most support for “an Iraqi democracy”, closely followed by “a single strong Iraqi leader”. In the future, 79% wanted “one unified Iraq with a central government in Baghdad”, while 14% wanted regional governments with a federal government in the capital.

Political action


The Kurdish parties and Islamic Dawa Party commanded strongest support. Nearly 60% of those asked did not know or would not say who they would vote for in an election. While 30% said their interest in politics had increased since the war, more than 35% said they would never talk about politics. More than 60% said they might vote.