2005-02-23-皮尤-More_Optimism_on_Iraq,_But_Most_Expect_Long_U.S._Stay_18页_58kb

NEWS RELEASE Summary

Date: February 24, 2005 – Embargoed for release at 4 PM; survey based on a national poll conducted February 16-21, 2005, among 1,502 Americans by Pew Research Center.

Key Findings on Iraq

• Increased Optimism: 47% of Americans believe the recent Iraqi elections will lead to greater stability, up from 29% in early January 2005. Slight increase in optimism about Iraq's situation overall, from 48% to 54% "going very or fairly well."

• Criticism of Bush: President Bush's approval rating for handling Iraq is 61% disapproving, with 53% saying he lacks a clear plan for withdrawal. Approval rating overall is 46%, down from 50% in January.

• War Opinion: Views on the war are evenly split (47% right decision, 47% wrong decision), with a modest rise in opposition. Slightly more than half (54%) oppose the initial war decision, the highest level since the conflict began.

• Troop Withdrawal Expectations: 54% of Americans believe U.S. troops will need to remain for at least two years, while 22% expect them to stay longer than five years. Most (55%) support maintaining troops until stability is achieved.

• Partisan Divide: Republicans (71%) are more optimistic about stability from elections, while Democrats and independents are less so. Opposition to the war is highest among Democrats and independents.

Additional Poll Insights

• Attention and Coverage: Iraq news has the highest attention from the public in February news interest index at 38% closely following stories.

• Social Security: Interest in Social Security discussion is notably high in February.

Note: The summary focuses solely on the main points without repetitions or additional analysis. It adheres to markdown formatting and omits any non-essential details from the original text.