Oxford Research Center Iraq Opinion

Oxford Research Center Iraq Opinion Poll

Helena Cobban summarizes briefly the Oxford Research Center’s recent opinion poll in Iraq. She highlights the finding that what people say is most important in their lives is Family (98%), religion (94) and work (83) Only 29 percent of men and 43 percent of women think politics is important at this stage (suggesting that the women fear they are the ones who might lose if they do not get involved). There is almost no social trust. She summarizes:

“Social trust in the country is eroded: nearly 90% of respondents say ‘you have to be very careful in dealing with [other] people’. Other than their immediate families, on aggregate scores people feel close to religious groups (62% ), their friends (27), and their relatives (28).“

As for institutions, 70% trust Iraq’s religious leaders, 21% trust the US and British military forces, and 27% trust the Coalition Provisional Authority. Iraqi political parties are mistrusted by 78% of the people, which is bad news for al-Da’wa and the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Read the whole thing–it is a healthy corrective to the caricatures one often hears on US television.