Little Change in Public Perceptions of U.S. Role in Iraq, According to Latest Harris Interactive Survey ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Public perceptions of the United States' role in Iraq, of the president's handling of Iraq and the situation on the ground have not changed much even though (Harris Poll published February 23rd) fewer people now believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The public is still quite equally split on President Bush's handling of Iraq, with 48% givinghim positive marks and 51% negative ratings. This is slightly below his ratings in January, but better than last November and very similar to his ratings in July and September last year. Other findings and trends include: * A 52% to 34% majority continues to believe that taking military action against Iraq was the right thing to do. * A 48% to 31% plurality of all adults are not confident that U.S. policies in Iraq will be successful. However, this is still a somewhat higher level of confidence than we found in September and November last year. * The 49% plurality which believes that the level of U.S. casualties in Iraq is unacceptable, with 43% believing them to be "unfortunate but acceptable," shows little change over the last several months. * The 38% who believe that the situation for U.S. troops in Iraq is getting worse, and the 22% who believe things are getting better, with 31% seeing no real change, are also very similar to the January Harris Poll results. These are the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 2,204 adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive(R) between February 16 and 20, 2004. Given the continuing U.S. and Iraqi casualties, growing doubts about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or had any links to Al Qaeda, and the difficulties in arranging a transfer of power to a legitimate Iraqi government, the lack of a clear trend is intriguing. The steadiness of the results over time suggest that many people have made up their minds, one way or the other, and that they are unlikely to change them unless something really different happens. TABLE 1 RATING OF PRESIDENT BUSH - HANDLING OF IRAQ "Overall, how wouldyou rate the job President Bush has done in handling the issue of Iraq over the last several months?" Base: All Adults 2003 2004 March April MayJuly Sept. Nov. Jan. Now % % % % % % % % Positive (NET) 56 67 63 49 47 41 51 48 Excellent 29 38 34 21 16 15 20 23 Pretty good 27 29 28 29 31 26 31 26 Negative (NET) 43 32 36 50 51 58 46 51 Only fair 16 15 18 22 19 19 20 19 Poor 27 17 18 28 32 38 26 32 Don't know 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 Note: Percentages may not add up exactly due to rounding. TABLE 2 CONFIDENT THAT U.S. POLICIES WILL BE SUCCESSFUL "How confident are you that U.S. policies in Iraq will be successful?" Base: All Adults 2003 2004 Sept. Nov. Jan. Now % % % % Confident 27 25 31 31 Not confident 46 51 45 48 Not sure 27 24 24 22 Note: Percentages may not add up exactly due to rounding. TABLE 3 WAS MILITARY ACTION THE RIGHT THING TO DO? "Thinking about everything that has happened, do you think that taking military action against Iraq was the right or wrong thing to do?" Base: All Adults 2003 2004 Sept. Nov. Jan. Now % % % % Right thing 55 49 55 52 Wrong thing 32 37 31 34 Not sure 13 13 15 14 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding. TABLE 4 ARE U.S. TROOPS SEEN BY IRAQIS AS LIBERATORS OR OCCUPIERS? "Do you think most people in Iraq see the U.S. troops there ... ?" Base: All Adults 2003 2004 May July Sept. Nov. Jan. Now % % % % % % More as occupiers 40 53 54 54 49 47 More as liberators 36 25 23 25 27 30 Not sure 24 22 23 20 24 23 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding. TABLE 5 LEVEL OF CASUALTIES ACCEPTABLE OR NOT? "Do you think that the level of U.S. casualties in Iraq is ... ?" Base: All Adults 2003 2004 July Sept. Nov. Jan. Now % % % % % Unfortunate but acceptable 51 47 44 44 43 Unacceptable 43 47 51 49 49 Not sure 6 6 5 7 9 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding. TABLE 6 IS SITUATION FOR U.S. TROOPS GETTING BETTER OR WORSE "Do you think that the situation for U.S. troops in Iraq is ... ?" Base: All Adults Jan. 2004 Now % % Getting better 24 22 Getting worse 36 38 No real change 31 31 Not sure 8 9 Note: Percentages do not add up to 100% due to rounding. Methodology The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between February 16 and 20, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 2,204 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education and number of adults in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus three percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online survey is not a probability sample. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. About Harris Interactive(R) Harris Interactive (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll(R), and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, U.S.A., Harris Interactive combines proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts international research through wholly owned subsidiaries-London-based HI Europe (http://www.hieurope.com/) and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan-as well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network of local market- and opinion-research firms, and various U.S. offices. EOE M/F/D/V To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit http://www.harrispollonline.com/. Press Contact: Nancy Wong Harris Interactive 585-214-7316 DATASOURCE: Harris Interactive CONTACT: Nancy Wong of Harris Interactive, +1-585-214-7316, or Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/ http://www.harrispollonline.com/ http://www.hieurope.com/

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