Most Support Military Action to Oust Saddam
Overall public support for military action to oust Saddam Hussein remains high, with 63 percent in favor, including four in 10 who support it "strongly." By contrast, fewer than two in 10 "strongly" oppose military action.
If the United Nations is opposed to military action, support drops to 50 percent. But it rebounds to 57 percent if some U.S. allies are aboard, even without U.N. support.
These views show a majority preference for the broadest possible multilateral alliance against Iraq, even if it takes longer to assemble. But, as noted, bottom-line support for ousting Saddam is unchanged — and most would not give the United Nations a veto on war.
Iraq Options: Support or Speed? |
| | | |
| Move Quickly, Even Without Support | 39% |
| Move More Slowly, Work for U.N. Support | 56% |
| |
Bush's and the United Nations' approval ratings for handling the situation are heavily tied to support for war. Those who favor attacking Iraq are far more likely to approve of Bush's work on the issue; those who oppose an attack are far more likely to approve of the U.N. work.
Women remain much less apt to support military action against Iraq — 53 percent do so, compared to 75 percent of men. Women also are 12 points more likely than men to say winning U.N. support is more important than moving quickly, and 14 points less likely to approve of Bush's handling of the issue.
The issue also remains enormously partisan. While 83 percent of Republicans approve of Bush's handling of the situation, that falls to 48 percent of independents and just 37 percent of Democrats.
Methodology
This ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Feb. 19-23 among a random national sample of 1,024 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was done by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.
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