http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0317iraq-poll0317.html
Poll: 60% of Americans feel war not 'worth it'
Susan Page USA Today Mar. 17, 2006 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Three years after the invasion of Iraq, more than half of Americans say the war there has touched their own lives, a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll says. By 3-1, they call the effect a negative one.
For most, the conflict has hit close to home: Six in 10 say a close friend, family member or co-worker has served in Iraq. More than one in 10 say someone close to them has been killed or wounded there.
Nearly six in 10 say the war has had a negative impact on the nation generally.
The confidence when the invasion was launched has been replaced by second-guessing about the wisdom of going to war and dissatisfaction with the way it has been waged. In March 2003, Americans by 3-1 said the U.S. action in Iraq was morally justified; now, 50 percent say it's not. A month after the invasion, 85 percent said the war was going well; now, 60 percent say it's going badly. A record 60 percent now say the war hasn't been "worth it."
"Without some milestones by which they can evaluate whether progress is being made or not, Americans are very unsettled about the war," Republican pollster David Winston says, "and it makes them unsettled about the direction of the country."
The casualties are shaping attitudes. Those who know someone who has served are less likely than other Americans to say it was a mistake to invade. However, if the person close to them had been killed or wounded, they are more likely to call the war a mistake.
Although views of the current war are generally pessimistic, on one issue Americans continue to be upbeat. Two-thirds say Iraq is better off now and for the long term than before the U.S.-led invasion.
As the conflict approaches its three-year milestone on Sunday, its effects have rippled through Americans' lives. Among the ways: Nearly nine of 10 have prayed for those affected, and half have cried because of the war.
The poll, taken March 10-12, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.