War in Iraq

39% Say Withdraw Troops From Iraq

Survey of 1,000 Adults

August 17-18, 2005

Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq at this time?
Yes	39%
No	46%
RasmussenReports.com

August 21, 2005--Thirty-nine percent (39%) of Americans say the U.S. should "withdraw its troops from Iraq at this time." A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 46% disagree and 15% are not sure.

Among those with family members who have served in the military, 34% say it is time to bring home the troops. Most in military families, 56%, disagree.

As with most questions concerning the War, there are huge partisan differences. Democrats, by a 57% to 24% margin, say it is time to bring home the troops. Republicans, by a 71% to 20% margin, disagree. Those not affiliated with either major party are evenly divided.

An earlier survey, asking a related but distinct question, found that 44% placed a higher priority on getting troops home than "finishing the mission in Iraq." In that survey, 46% said finishing the mission was more important.

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Related survey data showed that 35% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Cindy Sheehan and 38% have an unfavorable view.

Forty-three percent (43%) of women and 34% of men say it is time to bring home the troops. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of women and 54% of men disagree.

Married Americans say now is not the time to withdraw troops from Iraq by a 50% to 37% margin. Among those who are not married, opinion on this question is closely divided.

When it comes to the overall War on Terror, confidence that the U.S. and its allies are winning has fallen to the lowest level ever.

Demographic details available for Premium Members.

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Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

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The telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports August 17-18, 2005. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. 37% of survey respondents were Republican, 37% Democrat, and 26% unaffiliated (see Methodology)