Poll shows more
Hawaii voters oppose
Iraq war than support it
Opposition to the invasion
runs high among Kerry supporters,
women and lifetime residents
Nearly 44 percent of Hawaii voters say going to war against Iraq was wrong, a new Star-Bulletin/KITV-4 News statewide poll shows.
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Hawaii-based SMS Research conducted the poll of 693 registered voters between July 29 and Aug. 3. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, and respondents were asked whether they thought the nation "made the right decision or the wrong decision in going to war against Iraq."
Political pundits have said the Iraq war will prove one of the top factors in how voters -- especially those who are still undecided -- choose in November's presidential elections.
And among the dozens of residents waiting for city buses at Ala Moana Center yesterday morning, several agreed with the poll's results and backed its anti-war majority.
"I think it was wrong for us to go in," said Kaaawa carpenter Guy Dias. "I think we were deceived by the president."
"Right," said Linda Cortez, a dental hygienist, who was nearby. "Too many soldiers have died. ... We should get out."
But others, like Manoa resident Karol Uluivuda, said the Iraq war has made America a safer place to live.
"To me, it was good," she said. "Either the U.S. attacked them first or they attacked the U.S. first. They opened the door."
Some 75 percent of poll respondents who said they'd vote to re-elect President Bush in the upcoming election also were in support of the Iraq war. Seventy-three percent of those who plan to back Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry were against the conflict.
Also, 76 percent of those against the Iraq war said they disagreed with how the Bush administration's war on terrorism is being waged. Sixty-seven percent of those who said going into Iraq was the "right decision" also agreed with the way the war on terrorism is being conducted.
Only 16 percent of Republicans said they were opposed to the war, while 19 percent of Democrats supported it.
Women were more likely to be against the war, with a little over 44 percent against the military effort, and 34 percent in favor. Forty-three percent of men were behind the conflict, while nearly an equal percentage opposed it.
The percentage of women who said they were unsure either way -- 22 percent -- was higher than the 14 percent of men who also didn't take a stand.
The responses among lifetime Hawaii residents nearly mirrored the statewide results, with 43 percent against the war and 35 percent for it. Those who have been in the islands for six to 20 years were more likely to think the administration made the right choice in going against Iraq.
Forty-seven percent of 18- to 24-year-olds said the nation made the "wrong decision" in going to war, and 52 percent of those 45- to 54-years-old agreed. Opposition to the war was also stronger than support among those in the 55 and over age brackets, while support for the war was higher among 25-to-44-year-olds.
Residents in both the lowest income bracket -- less than $25,000 annually -- and those who made more than $150,000 a year were more likely than not to agree the Iraq war was wrong. Also, 47 percent of those who said they earned $75,000 to $150,000 annually were opposed to the conflict.
But support for the war was in the lead among those in all other income brackets -- 45 percent of those who said they made $50,000 to $75,000 a year and 41 percent of those who made $25,000 to $35,000 annually said the administration made the "right decision" in going to war against Iraq.
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