Poll shows most Iraqis happier without Saddam
But, a year on, few have faith in U.S.-led administration
Updated: 8:07 a.m. ET March 16, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A year after U.S. and British troops invaded Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein, the majority of Iraqis say life is better than it was under the former dictator, according to results of an extensive poll released on Tuesday.
But many have little faith in occupying troops and the U.S.-led administration -- and nearly one in five say attacks on foreign soldiers in Iraq are justified.
Asked whether their lives were better now than in the spring of 2003, nearly six in ten Iraqis said the situation was somewhat better or much better than it was, according to the survey of 2,500 people conducted for a group of broadcasting organizations by Oxford Research International.
Those responses are likely to come as a positive surprise for coalition forces and the U.S.-led administration in Iraq as they continue to grapple with a determined guerrilla insurgency and widespread social problems a year after Saddam’s fall.
Asked how the U.S.-led invasion of their country left them feeling, 41 percent said they felt liberated -- but the same number said they felt humiliated.
Iraqis often complain about a lack of security, the scarcity of jobs and their fears for the future, but the survey suggests that despite this, most feel life has improved.
Asked how things were going in their lives these days, seven in 10 said the situation was very good or quite good, and only 15 percent said things were very bad. Looking ahead, 71 percent said they expected conditions in their lives to be much better or somewhat better a year from now.
But there are grievances and inconsistencies in the way Iraqis feel 12 months after Saddam.
Ambivalence toward occupiers
One of their chief complaints is about the effectiveness and continued presence of U.S., and British forces in Iraq.
While half of those questioned believe the invasion was the right thing to do, compared with 39 percent who said it was wrong, more than four in 10 said they had no confidence whatsoever in U.S. and British occupation troops, and 51 percent oppose the presence of coalition forces in Iraq.
That said, Iraqis generally appear to want occupation forces to stay at least until security is restored and an Iraqi government is in place. Only 15 percent say they should leave now.
An Iraqi government is due to take power from July 1 this year, but it is likely to be many more months before security is restored. U.S. and British troops have made plans to maintain a presence in Iraq at least through the end of 2005.
As well as doubts about the ability of foreign troops to restore security -- which more than a fifth say is the single biggest problem in their lives -- Iraqis also have concerns about the capability of the U.S.-led civilian administration.
More than 60 percent say they have not very much or no confidence at all in the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), expressing much more confidence in Iraq’s religious leaders, the Iraqi police and the United Nations.
Asked whether attacks on coalition forces were justified, 17 percent said yes. Nearly 14 percent said attacks on the CPA were justified. Four percent said attacks on foreigners working for the United Nations and aid agencies were justified.
Almost a year after Saddam’s regime fell, which came after nearly three decades of dictatorship, more than four in five Iraqis say they want to have democracy, yet almost as many say they want to have a single strong leader.
Asked how the U.S.-led invasion of their country left them feeling, 41 percent said they felt liberated -- but the same number said they felt humiliated.
