CBS News Monthly Poll #5, March 2003

This poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency and foreign policy. In addition, respondents were asked whether they approved of actions taken against Iraq, how closely they followed news about the war, and what surprised them most about the war. Respondents were asked to give their opinions on various aspects of the war in Iraq: whether the removal of Saddam Hussein from power was worth the potential loss of life, whether the United States was making a mistake getting involved, whether the war would be fairly quick and successful or long and costly, the duration of the war, how well the war was going, and whether the United States correctly assessed how much resistance there would be from the Iraqi army. Respondents were also asked whether they felt proud about the actions of the United States, whether the Bush administration had clearly explained the cost of the war, and how much confidence they had in President Bush to make the right decisions regarding the war in Iraq. Views were elicited on whether it was acceptable for someone to criticize the president's decisions on military issues, whether Americans who opposed the war should hold protest marches or rallies, and whether the war in Iraq was part of the war on terrorism. Respondents were asked whether the war bothered them, how much the war affected their news viewing, whether the media spent too much time on war coverage, whether field reporting (news reporters traveling with troops) was a good or bad idea, and whether the field reporters reported accurately or tried to make things look better or worse than they were. Opinions were sought on whether the United States had the right to use military force, whether Iraq was a threat, level of concern about another terrorist attack within the United States, and willingness to cut domestic spending to fund the war. Finally, respondents were asked whether they or a family member served in the military, whether they had children, whether the children had expressed concern about the war, and how often the war was discussed with the children. A variety of demographic information was elicited, including political party affiliation, political view (liberal, moderate, or conservative), marital status, religion, education, age, Hispanic descent, race, income, and additional phone lines.