June 15 - The first survey of Iraqis sponsored by the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal shows that most say they would feel safer if Coalition forces left immediately, without even waiting for elections scheduled for next year. An overwhelming majority, about 80 percent, also say they have "no confidence" in either the U.S. civilian authorities or Coalition forces.

Sixty-seven percent of those surveyed also said they believed violent attacks have increased around the country because "people have lost faith in the Coalition forces."

The poll numbers were reflected in the anger seen in the streets of Baghdad after a series of car bombings on Monday. While U.S forces and Iraqi police hung back, crowds set some of the vehicles on fire, threw bricks and shouted insults at U.S. soldiers. According to the poll, a mere 1 percent of Iraqis now feel that the Coalition forces contribute most to their sense of security; only 18 percent described Iraqi police the same way. By contrast, a total of 71 percent said they depended mostly on their family and friends and neighbors for security.

The poll results, which have not been released publicly but were obtained by NEWSWEEK, indicate that the April publication of photos depicting the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison accelerated a long-term decline in support for the U.S. occupation. Of the Iraqis surveyed, 71 percent said they had been surprised by the Abu Ghraib revelations. Most, however, said they now believe the abuses were widespread. Fifty-four percent agreed with the statement that "all Americans behave this way," and 61 percent said they believed no one would be punished for the abuses. A CPA spokesman said Tuesday that he had not yet examined the numbers.
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On the positive side, the poll showed that 63 percent of Iraqis believe that installing the interim Iraqi government will make things "better" for Iraq, with only 15 percent saying thing will be worse. The survey also indicated that most Iraqis display continuing confidence in the new Iraqi police and army.
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The survey underlines just how much Coalition forces, which have struggled unsuccessfully to crush an insurgency that has targeted increasing numbers of Iraqis, as well as power lines and other facilities, seem to have lost the faith of most Iraqis. In November 2003, just 11 percent of Iraqis said they would feel "more safe" if Coalition forces left immediately; that number rose to 28 percent in January. Today 55 percent of Iraqis say they would feel safer if Coalition forces departed right away, even though the Bush administration has indicated they would stay on at least until the Iraqi elections in 2005. A whopping 69 percent also want the CPA to play no role at all in the selection of an independent election commission.

» MSNBC - Grim Numbers