ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST POLL: THE PRISONER ABUSE SCANDAL 5/6/04 EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE AFTER 11:45 a.m. Friday, May 7, 2004 Most are Dismayed by Prisoner Abuse, But Few Call for Rumsfeld s Resignation Most Americans express dismay about the abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. soldiers, and the nation divides on whether the Bush administration sought at first to investigate the scandal or to cover it up. Yet more than six in 10 also see these incidents as isolated, and say they should not cost Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld his job. Three-quarters are closely following the story, a level of attention reserved for some of the most gripping news events. Two-thirds favor criminal charges against the soldiers involved; fewer but still a majority, 54 percent, say punishment should go up the chain of command to higher-level officers who allowed a breakdown of training and discipline. Still, given current knowledge, most say the buck should stop before it gets to Rumsfeld. Twenty percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say he should resign, while many more, 69 percent, say he should retain his position. Even most Democrats hardly the administration s fondest fans say Rumsfeld should stay. 90% Accountability for Prisoner Abuse ABC News/Washington Post poll 80% 70% 66% Yes No 69% 60% 54% 50% 40% 30% 25% 31% 10% 0% Should the soldiers be charged with a crime? Should high-level officers be punished? Should Rumsfeld resign?
Rumsfeld should: All Democrats Independents Republicans Resign his job 30 17 11 Keep his job 69 58 73 82 Views may be changeable based on the facts that develop and the level of attention the issue commands. Anger about the incidents is highest among people who are following the story most closely, and much lower among those who haven t paid it much attention. Similarly, while relatively few in any group say Rumsfeld should go, calls for his departure are least prevalent among people who haven t tuned in to the controversy. And people who think abuse has been widespread, rather than isolated, are three times more likely to say Rumsfeld should resign (37 percent of them say so, compared with 12 percent of those who think the incidents are isolated.) 90% 80% Was the Administration Mainly Trying to Investigate the Issue or Cover it Up? ABC News/Washington Post poll 70% 62% Investigate it Cover it up 67% 60% 50% 40% 44% 42% 30% 26% 22% 10% 0% Democrats Independents Republicans BUSH Assessments of George W. Bush s response to the scandal are more positive than negative, but with many withholding judgment: Forty-eight percent approve, 35 percent disapprove and 17 percent have no opinion. In a positive sign for the president, his approval rating for handling the situation peaks, at 54 percent, among those who are following it most closely. Bush might be helped by apologizing, perhaps more directly than he has to date: Fiftynine percent of Americans say he should apologize directly to the Iraqi people. Nearly half of Republicans say so, as well as six in 10 or more Democrats and independents.
A danger for Bush, as for Rumsfeld, is the possibility of revelations indicating the abuse was more widespread. Among people who think it s isolated, 62 percent approve of the way Bush is handling it; among those who think it s widespread, his approval falls to 25 percent. People who think the abuse is widespread also are far more likely to think the administration initially tried to cover it up. The partisan, 50-50 nation rears its head on questions of the administration s initial response to the scandal. With huge differences by political affiliation, the public divides evenly, 42-42 percent, on whether the administration acted quickly enough in investigating these reports when they first became known, or moved too slowly. It s almost an identical division, 44-43 percent, on whether the administration initially sought to investigate the scandal or cover it up. Again there are vast partisan differences in these views: Republicans and Democrats are a mirror image, with independents split down the middle. Admin. sought to: All Democrats Independents Republicans Investigate it 44% 26 44 67 Cover it up 43 62 42 22 WAR Views on the war itself are largely stable, and not particularly positive. A new low, 38 percent, say the administration has a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq (it was close to that, 42 percent, last fall). Six in 10 continue to say the United States has gotten bogged down there. And the public still divides about evenly, now 49-47 percent, on whether the war was worth fighting, a division that s been more or less steady in ABC/Post polls since February. ISOLATED? As noted, the public by 2-1, 62 percent to 31 percent, thinks the apparent abuse represents a few isolated incidents rather than something more widespread. The sense that it s isolated peaks among Republicans, at 75 percent, and it s much higher among whites (68 percent) than among non-whites, who divide evenly on the question. BIG DEAL There is broad agreement, though, that the scandal is a legitimate one. Only seven percent of Americans say they re not concerned about it. Instead 39 percent are concerned, a quarter upset and another quarter downright angry. Anger peaks, at 34 percent, among those who are following the scandal most closely, and it s lowest, 14 percent, among those who are not following it closely. Similarly, among those who are following it very closely, 26 percent say Rumsfeld should resign; among those not following it closely, this drops to 10 percent. ---------------Following it--------------- All Very Closely Somewhat Closely Not Closely Angry about it 24% 34 23 14 Say Rumsfeld should go 26 21 10
While hardly any Americans are unconcerned about it, there is a considerable minority 28 percent that sees the scandal as not a big deal, because this kind of things happens in wartime. Many more, however 69 percent say it is a big deal, because this kind of abuse is unacceptable, no matter what the situation. That includes a majority of Republicans (58 percent), and jumps to 78 percent of Democrats, and 70 percent of independents. 50% 45% 40% Personal Reaction to the Scandal ABC News/Washington Post poll 39% 35% 30% 25% 27% 24% 15% 10% 7% 5% 0% Not concerned Concerned Upset Angry METHODOLOGY This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone May 5-6, 2004, among a random national sample of 802 adults. The results have a 3.5- point error margin. Field work by TNS of Horsham, Pa. Analysis by Gary Langer. ABC News polls can be found at ABCNEWS.com at http://abcnews.com/pollvault.html. Media contact: Cathie Levine, (212) 456-4934, or Lisa Finkel, (212) 456-6190. Full results follow. 1. All in all, considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war with Iraq was worth fighting, or not? Worth Not worth No fighting fighting opinion
5/6/04 49 47 5 4/18/04 51 47 2 3/7/04 52 44 3 2/11/04 48 50 2 1/18/04 56 41 3 12/21/03 59 39 2 12/14/03 53 42 5 11/16/03 52 44 4 10/29/03 54 44 2 10/13/03 54 44 2 9/13/03 61 37 2 9/7/03 54 42 4 8/24/03 57 37 5 8/11/03 61 35 4 7/10/03 57 40 3 6/22/03 64 33 3 4/30/03 70 27 4 Gulf War: 2/2/92* 66 32 2 7/28/91 67 30 3 6/2/91 70 26 3 3/4/91 86 13 1 *2/2/92 and previous: "the Persian Gulf war"; 3/4/91: "this war 2. Do you think the Bush Administration does or does not have a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq? Does Does not No opinion 5/6/04 38 57 5 4/18/04 45 53 2 3/7/04 43 53 3 12/21/03 48 47 5 10/13/03 42 53 5 9/13/03 42 55 2 8/26/03* 44 54 2 *Gallup. 3. Do you think the United States (has gotten bogged down in Iraq), or do you think the United States (is making good progress in Iraq)? Has gotten bogged down Is making good progress No opinion 5/6/04 60 35 5 4/18/04 59 41 0 4. How closely have you been following news reports about the apparent abuse of some Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers in Iraq very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not closely at all? -------Closely------- --------Not closely------- No NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all op. 5/6/04 75 36 39 25 16 8 1 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the issue of the apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers? Approve Disapprove No opinion 5/6/04 48 35 17
6. Do you think Bush should or should not apologize to the Iraqi people for these incidents? Should apologize Should not apologize No opinion 5/6/04 59 33 8 7. Do you think the apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers represents a few isolated incidents, or do you think it s more widespread than that? Represents a few Abuse is more No isolated incidents widespread than that opinion 5/6/04 62 31 7 8. Do you think the soldiers involved should or should not be charged with a crime? Should Should not No opinion 5/6/04 66 25 8 9. (Do you think higher-level military officers should be punished for allowing a breakdown in training and discipline that let this happen), or (do you think these incidents are only the responsibility of the individual soldiers involved)? Officers should be Responsibility of Neither No punished for breakdown individual soldiers (vol.) op. 5/6/04 54 31 8 6 10. Do you think the Bush administration (acted quickly enough) in investigating these reports when they first became known, or (moved too slowly)? Acted quickly enough Moved too slowly No opinion 5/6/04 42 42 16 11. Before this issue became public, do you think the Bush administration was mainly trying to (investigate it), or was mainly trying to (cover it up)? Investigate it Cover it up No opinion 5/6/04 44 43 13 12. Do you think the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, should resign because of the prisoner abuse issue, or should he keep his job? Should resign Should keep his job No opinion 5/6/04 20 69 11 13. What's your own personal reaction to the apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners would you say you re (not concerned; concerned but not upset; upset but not angry; or angry)? Not Concerned Upset
concerned but not upset but not angry Angry No op. 5/6/04 7 39 27 24 2 14. Do you feel that these incidents are (not a big deal, because this kind of thing happens in a war situation), or do you think they are (a big deal, because this kind of abuse is unacceptable no matter what the situation)? Not a big deal A big deal No opinion 5/6/04 28 69 3 ***END***