Poll: Iraqis Gripped by Fear and Anger

Iraqi girl looks at a US soldier on a patrol in the Shiite enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad, Monday, March 19, 2007. U.S. soldiers have been patrolling the Shiite militia stronghold since March 4 under a deal which allowed them to enter the area without resistance.(AP Photo/Adil al-Khazali) (Adil Al-khazali - AP)

WASHINGTON -- The optimism that helped sustain Iraqis during the first few years of the war has dissolved into widespread fear, anger and distress amid unrelenting violence, a survey found.

The poll _ the third in Iraq since early 2004 by ABC News and media partners _ draws a stark portrait of an increasingly pessimistic population under great emotional stress. Among the findings of this survey for ABC News, USA Today, the BBC and ARD German TV:

_The number of Iraqis who say their own life is going well has dipped from 71 percent in November 2005 to 39 percent now.

_About three-fourths of Iraqis report feelings of anger, depression and difficulty concentrating.

_More than half of Iraqis have curtailed activities like going out of their homes, going to markets or other crowded places and traveling through police checkpoints.

_Only 18 percent of Iraqis have confidence in U.S. and coalition troops, and 86 percent are concerned that someone in their household will be a victim of violence.

_Slightly more than half of Iraqis _ 51 percent _ now say that violence against U.S. forces is acceptable _ up from 17 percent who felt that way in early 2004. More than nine in 10 Sunni Arabs in Iraq now feel this way.

_While 63 percent said they felt very safe in their neighborhoods in late 2005, only 26 percent feel that way now.

The major cause for this sharp reversal in Iraqi attitudes is the continuing violence _ bombings, attacks by roving gunmen and kidnappings _ that has overwhelmed the country since the U.S. invasion four years ago this week.

Eighty percent of Iraqis surveyed reported some kind of violence nearby, according to the nationally representative survey conducted Feb. 25 to March 5 among 2,212 Iraqis, including oversamples _ or additional interviews _ in Anbar province, the Sadr City section of Baghdad, Basra and Kirkuk. Results were subject to a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Polling in a war-torn country can be more difficult because respondents are fearful. ABC pollster Gary Langer said the interviewers were experienced in polling in such situations and the questionnaire was extensive and carefully translated, adding that those who were afraid could just refuse to participate. The survey was done by D3 Systems, a pollster specializing in conflict countries.

Iraqi civilian deaths are estimated at more than 54,000, possibly much higher. More than half of Iraqis surveyed said a friend or relative has been hurt or killed in the violence, while almost nine in 10 worried that a loved one will be hurt.