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Compared to 2003, fewer teens support the war in Iraq and think the United States will win, but they are somewhat less worried about a terrorist attack taking place near them
ROCHESTER, N.Y – JULY 11, 2005 – A new poll of U.S. youth aged 13 to 18 conducted by Harris Interactive? shows that one-quarter (24%) of teens support the war in Iraq, down from 47 percent who felt this way in April 2003, shortly after the war began. At the same time, teens are somewhat less worried that a terrorist attack will take place near where they live, go to school, or where their parents work.
These are some of the results of a Harris Interactive survey conducted online in the United States among 754 youth aged 13 to 18 between June 15 and 20, 2005. Harris Interactive conducted a similar online survey among 624 U.S. youth aged 13 to 18 between April 16 and 23, 2003.
A comparison of the two polls shows a sharp decline in support for the war among teens:
Less than one-third (30%) rate President Bush’s handling of the war as excellent or pretty good, down from 54 percent in April 2003.
More than half (54%) feel that the United States will win the war, down from the 83 percent who felt this way in April 2003.
One-quarter (25%) say the war makes them feel proud of their nation, falling from 48 percent in April 2003 who said this.
Four in ten (41%) say the war is not worth fighting at all, up from 28 percent in April 2003.
The war in Iraq seems to have had a clear impact on recruitment for the U.S. military. In April 2003, 28 percent of teens said they would be likely to volunteer to fight in the war in Iraq if they were old enough, a percentage which has fallen to 11 percent now. The surveys also show that a large majority of teens continue to support the all-volunteer system for the armed services (87% now and in 2003)
"Support for the war in Iraq has waned over time and our initial poll in 2003 showed that most teens expected the war to end quickly (76% thought the war would end in a year or less)," said John Geraci, vice president of the Youth and Education Research Practice at Harris Interactive. "Although this new survey shows very little support for the war among teenagers, it also indicates that teens are somewhat less worried about terrorist attacks. Specifically, the 2003 poll showed that 30 percent of teens were very or quite worried that a terrorist attack might take place near them, compared to 21 percent now."
Note 1: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Note 2: Question asked slightly different in 2003: "How worried are you that terrorist attacks started by Saddam Hussein might take place where you live, go to school or where your parents work?"
2005 Survey
The Harris Interactive YouthQuerySM omnibus was conducted online within the United States between June 15 and 20, 2005 among a nationwide cross section of 754 youth aged 13 to 18. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and urbanicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
Though this online sample is not a probability sample, in theory, with a probability sample of this size, Harris Interactive estimates with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. There are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors.
2003 Survey
The Harris Interactive YouthQuerySM omnibus was conducted online within the United States between April 16 and 23, 2005 among a nationwide cross section of 624 youth aged 13 to 18. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and urbanicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
Though this online sample is not a probability sample, in theory, with a probability sample of this size, Harris Interactive estimates with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. There are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. About Harris Interactive?Harris Interactive Inc. ( http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), the 15th largest market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, NY-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll? and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results. Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through its U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries, HI Europe in London ( http://www.hieurope.com/), Novatris in Paris ( http://www.novatris.com/), and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V.
Press Contacts:
Nancy Wong
Harris Interactive
585-214-7316 Kelly Gullo
Harris Interactive
585-214-7172
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