Channel 4 poll: Iraqis optimistic
Updated on 17 March 2008
They're optimistic and living in peace but a quarter of Iraqis say they've seen a relative killed since the US invasion five years ago.
These are the findings of a Channel 4 poll of 4,000 people throughout Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.
The poll shows that a majority of Iraqis believe the security situation is improving. But there's also strong support for a withdrawal of multinational troops.
Full poll results
Read the results of the exclusive Channel 4 poll on Iraq here.
Samira Ahmed's script
Vietnam veteran John McCain knows all about being bogged down in an unwinnable war. But is the situation in Iraq really as bleak as often portrayed?
McCain's walkabouts in Baghdad and Haditha yesterday may be heavily controlled, but there's evidence that the US military surge has made a huge difference.
Insurgent bomb attacks, like the blast targeting a passing Baghdad police patrol this morning, are much rarer.
And the Channel 4 poll round Iraq has suggested the public are aware of this.
Asked to describe the security situation in their local area 80 per cent said it was peaceful, only 10 per cent that it was violent. Though only half the people polled in the Sunni Arab north felt their area was peaceful.
Asked if they were optimistic about the country becoming normal and peaceful 68 per cent - more than two-thirds said yes. Just under a quarter, 23 per cent, said no.
And on the crucial question of whether US led forces should stay or go only 18 per cent said yes, 70 per cent calling them to leave Iraq - almost all saying immediately.
John McCain once promised to stay for 100 years if necessary. But more important to many Iraqis is that, as the Red Cross today points out, millions have no or minimal access to clear water, healthcare and electricity.
As one of the architects of the invasion Vice President Dick Cheney visits Iraq today, what hope can he offer that daily life will improve any time soon?
