ORB Also Gets its Funds for Iraq
May 25 2007
London-based ORB has received the go-ahead to continue its annual tracking survey of public opinion in Iraq. Now three years old, the survey involves face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds.
The poll includes feedback from 5,019 Iraqis aged 18+, but confidentiality and safety issues prevent ORB from disclosing its client's name, or details of how the fieldwork is carried out.
Some of the latest results indicate that:
- Despite April being one of the bloodiest months since the end of the war, a majority (51%) believe that life is better under the current regime, with 23% preferring life under Saddam Hussein's rule. In Baghdad those who prefer the new system has increased from 49% to 54% since the March poll.
- Even amid the rising number of civilian deaths resulting from militia activity, just a fifth (21%) believe that their country is in a state of civil war. The proportion saying that 'Iraq is close to a state of civil war, but not in one yet', has increased from 22% to 26%.
- One in two respondents (49%) believe that from what they have seen, read or heard, President Bush's additional troop deployment is making Baghdad's security situation 'a great deal worse'. Only 11% of those questioned say it is improving the situation.
At last year's ESOMAR Congress, ORB Managing Director Johnny Heald presented a paper entitled: 'Polling In A War Zone' in which he outlined some of the dangers encountered by interviews in war torn situations (listen to the Podcast at
www.researchtalk.co.uk/rt/index.php?s=Johnny+Heald to hear more). He has just been invited back to present the full set of findings at this year's 60th anniversary conference to be held in Berlin in September. ORB's homepage is at
www.opinion.co.uk .
Earlier this week ORB Director Tim Heald, brother of the firm's MD and son of its Chairman Gordon Heald, announced he would leave to take up a new business development position with field agency, The iD Factor (
www.mrweb.com/drno/news6831.htm ).
All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.
