Most People in Britain Believe that the Government Deliberately Exaggerated Reports of Weapons of Mass Destruction

But half of British adults still believe Iraq had such weapons

LONDON – 17 May 2004 – A 71% majority of the British people now believes that what they were told by the British government before the Iraq war about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was inaccurate, and 61% believe that the government "deliberately exaggerated reports of weapons of mass destruction to increase support for the war." However, half of the population (49%) still believes that Iraq had such weapons, although almost everyone (91%) recognizes that no clear evidence of their existence has been found.

These are some of the results of a nationwide poll of 4,159 adults aged 16 and over surveyed online in Great Britain by HI Europe between 14 and 19 April. Other interesting findings from the survey include:

• A 61% majority is in favor of bringing most of the British troops home in the next year. Only 39% favor keeping them in Iraq until there is a stable government.
• Almost everyone (95%) thinks it likely that British troops will remain in Iraq "much longer than initially anticipated."
• While a majority (71%) recognizes that no clear evidence that Iraq was supporting Al Qaeda has been found, more than a quarter a third (29%) believe such evidence has been found.

This poll by HI Europe finds some substantial differences in the attitudes between Labour supporters, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

• Conservatives (74%) and Liberal Democrats (67%) are much more likely than Labour supporters (48%) to believe that the government deliberately exaggerated reports of weapons of mass destruction.
• Labour supporters (58%) are more likely than Conservatives (42%) or Liberal Democrats (41%) to believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

However, the majority of the public which favors bringing most British troops home in the next year is virtually identical among Labour (58%), Conservatives (57%) and Liberal Democrats (61%).

These findings make it clear that, in effect, most people do not accept the main conclusion of the Hutton report. Unlike Lord Hutton they believe that the government did " sex-up" the evidence of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

"Do you favor or oppose keeping a large number of British troops in Iraq until there is a stable government there or bringing most of our troops home in the next year?

Base: All Adults

NOTE: In March, Harris Poll found that 42% of Americans "favoured keeping a large number of U.S. troops in Iraq until there is a stable government." /harris_poll/index.asp?PID=456

"How likely do you think it is that troops from the UK will remain in Iraq for peace-keeping purposes much longer than initially anticipated at the start of the war?

Base: All Adults

"Do you believe that what we were told by the government before the Iraq war about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and Iraq’s links to Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization, was generally…?"

Base: All Adults

NOTE: In March, a Harris Poll found that 40% of Americans thought the information they were given by U.S. government was "generally accurate." /harris_poll/index.asp?PID=456

Do you believe that clear evidence of weapons of mass destruction has been found in Iraq, or not?

Base: All Adults

NOTE: In March, a Harris Poll found that 19% of Americans thought clear evidence of weapons of mass destruction had been found. /harris_poll/index.asp?PID=456

Do you believe Iraq actually had weapons of mass destruction when the war began or not?

Base: All Adults

NOTE: In March, a Harris Poll found that 51% of Americans believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. /harris_poll/index.asp?PID=456

Do you believe clear evidence that Iraq was supporting Al Qaeda has been found in Iraq or not?

Base: All Adults

NOTE: In March, a Harris Poll found that 49% of Americans believed that clear evidence that Iraq was supporting Al Qaeda had been found. /harris_poll/index.asp?PID=456

Do you believe that the British government deliberately exaggerated the reports of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in order to increase support for war, or do you think it tried to present the information accurately?

Base: All Adults

NOTE: In March, a Harris Poll found that 43% of Americans believed the U.S. government had deliberately exaggerated reports of weapons of mass destruction. /harris_poll/index.asp?PID=456

This HI Europe poll was conducted online within Great Britain between 14 and 19 April 2004 among 4,159 adults, aged 16 and older. Data were weighted to represent the total adult British population for age, sex, education, income and region. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of ±2 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population of Great Britain (aged 16 and over) had been polled with complete accuracy. There are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are potentially more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. These include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online sample was not a probability sample.

HI Europe (www.hieurope.com) is a market research and consulting firm known for its expertise in strategic business and consumer research, particularly in the IT and telecom industries. HI Europe plays a major role in solving its clients' complex business problems through thoughtful application of innovative methodologies and sophisticated technologies, focusing on those that are Internet-based. Headquartered in London, HI Europe is a subsidiary of US-based Harris Interactive^®, one of the world’s largest market research companies, known for The Harris Poll^® and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research.

Carole Holland
HI Europe
+44 (0) 20-8263-5268
cholland@hieurope.com

Nancy Wong
Harris Interactive
+1-585-214-7316
nwong@harrisinteractive.com