UK Iraq poll: Low support for U.S.

Britons don't like how Bush is handling Iraq and think Blair is too supportive of U.S. foreign policy

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The majority of Britons disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the Iraq crisis, according to a poll.

They think the U.S. president is determined to attack Iraq even without U.N. approval, and that their prime minister is too supportive of Bush's foreign policy, the poll showed.

The survey, conducted by MORI for Britain's ITV News, also showed that a UK dossier on Iraq released this week convinced most Britons that Iraq was a threat to world peace -- but not that immediate military action was needed.

And it showed a sharp drop in confidence the British have in the ability of the United States to "deal responsibly with world problems."

POLL RESULTS Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling the current situation with Iraq? Approve             30% Disapprove       59% Do you approve or disapprove of the way Blair is handling the current situation with Iraq?Approve             40% Disapprove       49% Bush is determined to take military action against Iraq, with or without U.N. approval: Agree                 73% Disagree           22% Blair is too supportive of Bush's foreign policy: Agree                 69% Disagree           24% How much confidence, if any, do you have in the ability of the U.S. to deal responsibly with world problems (2002)? Great deal of confidence        6% Fair amount of confidence   35% Very little confidence              38% No confidence at all               19% Same question, 1998:: Great deal of confidence       15% Fair amount of confidence    56% Very little confidence              20% No confidence at all                 6% Source: MORI poll for ITV News SPECIAL REPORT •  War Tracker •  On the Scene Map •  Commanders: U.S. | Iraq •  Weapons: 3D Models •  Coalition casualties | POW/MIA •  Special Report UK DOSSIER • Main points of the dossier  • Read the full text (PDF file) QUICKVOTE Has the UK's dossier strengthened the case against Saddam Hussein? Yes No VIEW RESULTS

Asked how Bush was handling the Iraq crisis, 59 percent disapproved of his actions and 30 percent approved.

Britons were more closely split on how UK Prime Minister Tony Blair was handling the crisis, with 49 percent disapproving and 40 percent approving.

Asked if Blair was too supportive of Bush's foreign policy, 69 percent said yes and 24 percent said no. Blair has been one of Bush's strongest supporters on the issue of Iraq.

Seventy-three percent said they thought Bush was determined to take military action against Iraq regardless of whether the United Nations approved of it.

Only 22 percent disagreed with that statement.

On the UK dossier, 54 percent said it convinced them Iraq posed a threat to peace, while 24 percent said it did not.

Thirty percent said it persuaded them that military action should be taken immediately against Baghdad, while 48 percent said it did not.

In light of the dossier, 71 percent said they would support Britain joining U.S.-led military action against Iraq if it was approved by the United Nations. Only 22 percent would support action without U.N. approval.

If such action involved many British casualties support for action with U.N. approval fell to 49 percent. Support for action without U.N. approval dropped to 20 percent.

In all 62 percent said the dossier had either little or no effect on their thinking about Iraq.

A similar number -- 68 percent -- said their views on Iraq had not changed in the past week.

But British confidence in America's ability on the world stage has dropped sharply in the past four years.

In 1998, 71 percent of Britons surveyed said they had either a great deal or a fair amount of confidence. The current poll put that number at 41 percent.

Only 26 percent had very little or no confidence four years ago, compared to 57 percent this week.

However, confidence in the United Nations' ability to deal responsibly with world problems was high, with 62 percent having a great deal or a fair amount of confidence, compared to 35 percent with very little or no confidence.

For the poll, MORI interviewed 631 British adults by telephone on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The participants, aged 18 and older, were asked 14 questions involving Iraq, the United States, the United Nations and their government.

The poll results did not include a margin of error.

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