Monday, September 10, 2007
Survey - Iraqis say surge has failed
Security
(BBC) - About 70% of Iraqis believe security has deteriorated in the area covered by the US military "surge" of the past six months, an opinion poll suggests. The survey by the BBC, ABC News and NHK of more than 2,000 people across Iraq also suggests that nearly 60% see attacks on US-led forces as justified. This rises to 93% among Sunni Muslims compared to 50% for Shia.
The findings come as the top US commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, prepares to address Congress. He and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker are due to testify about the effects of the surge and the current situation in Iraq. The poll suggests that the overall mood in Iraq is as negative as it has been since the US-led invasion in 2003, says BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs.
The poll was conducted in more than 450 neighbourhoods across all 18 provinces of Iraq in August, and has a margin of error of + or - 2.5%. It was commissioned jointly by the BBC, ABC and Japan's NHK. It is the fourth such poll in which BBC News has been involved, with previous ones conducted in February 2004, November 2005 and February 2007. It was commissioned with the specific purpose of assessing the effects of the surge as well as tracking longer term trends in Iraq.
Between 67% and 70% of the Iraqis polled believe the surge has hampered conditions for political dialogue, reconstruction and economic development, according to the August 2007 findings. Only 29% think things will get better in the next year, compared to 64% two years ago. The number of people wanting coalition forces to leave immediately rose since February's poll but more than half - 53% - still said they should stay until security improved.
The survey reveals two great divides, our correspondent notes. First, there is the one between relative optimism registered in November 2005 and the gloom of this year's two polls. In between, there was the deadly bombing of the Shia mosque in Samarra, which unleashed a bitter and deadly sectarianism. The other great divide is the one now revealed between the Sunni and Shia communities. While 88% of Sunnis say things are going badly in their lives, 54% of Shia think they are going well.
The findings come as the top US commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, prepares to address Congress. He and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker are due to testify about the effects of the surge and the current situation in Iraq. The poll suggests that the overall mood in Iraq is as negative as it has been since the US-led invasion in 2003, says BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs.
The poll was conducted in more than 450 neighbourhoods across all 18 provinces of Iraq in August, and has a margin of error of + or - 2.5%. It was commissioned jointly by the BBC, ABC and Japan's NHK. It is the fourth such poll in which BBC News has been involved, with previous ones conducted in February 2004, November 2005 and February 2007. It was commissioned with the specific purpose of assessing the effects of the surge as well as tracking longer term trends in Iraq.
Between 67% and 70% of the Iraqis polled believe the surge has hampered conditions for political dialogue, reconstruction and economic development, according to the August 2007 findings. Only 29% think things will get better in the next year, compared to 64% two years ago. The number of people wanting coalition forces to leave immediately rose since February's poll but more than half - 53% - still said they should stay until security improved.
The survey reveals two great divides, our correspondent notes. First, there is the one between relative optimism registered in November 2005 and the gloom of this year's two polls. In between, there was the deadly bombing of the Shia mosque in Samarra, which unleashed a bitter and deadly sectarianism. The other great divide is the one now revealed between the Sunni and Shia communities. While 88% of Sunnis say things are going badly in their lives, 54% of Shia think they are going well.
Dr Toby Dodge, who was involved in running the poll, pointed to the fact that so many Iraqis saw no improvement to their safety since the US deployed an extra 30,000 troops this year, bringing their number up to nearly 170,000. "I think that's a damning critique and an indication of the pessimism and the violence on the ground," he told the BBC's Radio Five Live.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki insisted on Monday that the surge had had a positive effect in the capital, Baghdad, at least. Violence had dropped 75%, he told the Iraqi parliament, without giving figures. At the same time, he warned that Iraqi forces were not ready to take over security from the US military which had, he said, "helped... in a great way in fighting terrorism".
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki insisted on Monday that the surge had had a positive effect in the capital, Baghdad, at least. Violence had dropped 75%, he told the Iraqi parliament, without giving figures. At the same time, he warned that Iraqi forces were not ready to take over security from the US military which had, he said, "helped... in a great way in fighting terrorism".
Labels: Dr Toby Dodge, Iraq, surge, survey
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
London company get go-ahead to continue survey of public opinion in Iraq
(BI-ME) - London-based ORB has received the go-ahead to continue its annual tracking survey of public opinion in Iraq. Now three years old, the survey involves face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds. The poll includes feedback from 5,019 Iraqis aged 18-plus, but confidentiality and safety issues prevent ORB from disclosing its client’s name, or details of how the fieldwork is carried out.
Some of the latest results indicate that despite April being one of the bloodiest months since the end of the war, a majority (51%) believe that life is better under the current regime, with 23% preferring life under Saddam Hussein’s rule. In Baghdad those who prefer the new system has increased from 49% to 54% since the March poll.
Some of the latest results indicate that despite April being one of the bloodiest months since the end of the war, a majority (51%) believe that life is better under the current regime, with 23% preferring life under Saddam Hussein’s rule. In Baghdad those who prefer the new system has increased from 49% to 54% since the March poll.
Even amid the rising number of civilian deaths resulting from militia activity, just a fifth (21%) believe that their country is in a state of civil war. The proportion saying that ‘Iraq is close to a state of civil war, but not in one yet’, has increased from 22% to 26%.One in two respondents (49%) believe that from what they have seen, read or heard, President Bush’s additional troop deployment is making Baghdad’s security situation ‘a great deal worse’. Only 11% of those questioned say it is improving the situation.
At last year’s ESOMAR Congress, ORB Managing Director Johnny Heald presented a paper entitled ‘Polling In A War Zone’ in which he outlined some of the dangers encountered by interviews in war torn situations.
Labels: Johnny Heald, ORB, survey
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Nine million Iraqis are living under the poverty line
Economy
(Iraq Directory) - The Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation said that about nine million Iraqis are living under the poverty line according to a sociological survey conducted by the Central Body for Statistics.
An official source at the ministry said that "this survey was conducted on different samples in all governorates; results showed that more than nine million Iraqis are living under the poverty line because a large proportion of them depend on food subsidies and subsidized basic commodities such as fuel, with many Iraqi markets not working regularly.”
An official source at the ministry said that "this survey was conducted on different samples in all governorates; results showed that more than nine million Iraqis are living under the poverty line because a large proportion of them depend on food subsidies and subsidized basic commodities such as fuel, with many Iraqi markets not working regularly.”
He added, "The Central Body for Statistics entered the results of this survey into the future plans of the Ministry of Planning, in order to reduce rates of poverty and help Iraqi families rise above the poverty line,” and pointed out, "There are many training programs under a number of ministries to provide jobs for the unemployed, thus attempting to eliminate unemployment, a significant cause of poverty.” The latest economic studies confirmed earlier that poverty in Iraq is rising continuously due to the lack of plans and projects in all governorates to reduce poverty.
Labels: Central Body for Statistics, Iraq, poverty, survey
Thursday, May 03, 2007
43 per cent of Iraqis suffer from abject poverty
Humanitarian, Economics
(Azzaman) - Poverty is rampant throughout Iraq with more than half the population lacking basic means to survive, a government survey shows. The survey by the Central Statistical Bureau says that 43 percent of Iraqis suffer from ‘absolute poverty’ and another 11 percent of them live in ‘abject poverty’.
Both terms are measures aid organizations use to quantify poverty in the world and they refer to people below poverty level. People in absolute poverty lack the necessary food, clothing or shelter to survive and 43 percent of Iraqis now fall into that category, the survey says. People in abject poverty lack a minimum income or consumption level necessary to meet basic needs and 11 percent of Iraqis are in that category, according to the survey.
The study is the result of a nation-wide survey of families across the country and takes into consideration the millions of Iraqis who have been displaced or forced to flee abroad. The survey is the largest and most comprehensive the bureau has conducted in the past four years. Hundreds of researchers and civil servants working in its offices in Iraq were involved.
Both terms are measures aid organizations use to quantify poverty in the world and they refer to people below poverty level. People in absolute poverty lack the necessary food, clothing or shelter to survive and 43 percent of Iraqis now fall into that category, the survey says. People in abject poverty lack a minimum income or consumption level necessary to meet basic needs and 11 percent of Iraqis are in that category, according to the survey.
The study is the result of a nation-wide survey of families across the country and takes into consideration the millions of Iraqis who have been displaced or forced to flee abroad. The survey is the largest and most comprehensive the bureau has conducted in the past four years. Hundreds of researchers and civil servants working in its offices in Iraq were involved.
Labels: Central Statistical Bureau, Iraq, poverty, survey
