Surveys say...

Politics | Tricky poll questions skew what Americans believe about the war in Iraq | Mark Bergin

What do U.S. voters think of the situation in Iraq? Turns out, that's a loaded question, one with myriad angles and subtleties often overlooked by major polling agencies. A WORLD analysis of five recent national scientific surveys reveals that perceived public opinion can depend as much on the questions asked as the answers given.

In an Associated Press poll of 1,002 adults last month, 56 percent of respondents said they believe the war in Iraq is "a hopeless cause." Compare that to last month's survey of 800 adults from Public Opinion Strategies (POS), in which 57 percent of respondents "support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security for its people."