Military to poll Iraqi's on support for missions; includes focus groups

A poll of Iraq's taken February, 2004 for the BBC

As violence continues in Iraq, the military is looking for ways to achieve stability through opinion polls and public relations.

The Multi-National Command in Baghdad wants to hire a private firm to conduct polling and focus groups in Iraq "to assess the effectiveness of operations as they relate to gaining and maintaining popular support," according to a notice the Department of the Army posted yesterday.

"Since the end of major combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Coalition Forces have sought to build robust and positive relations with the people of Iraq and to assist the Iraqi people in forming a new government," the notice says, posted on the government contracting Web site FBODaily.com.

Polling and focus groups are being sought as "important tools for assessing changes in the level of a population's support for various groups," according to the posting.

Polling in Iraq is so sensitive that the contract proposal states that the winner must ensure those being questioned "are not aware of the survey sponsor's identity." One member of a firm that has conducted polling for the Baghdad command said yesterday that "if someone out there believes the client is the U.S. government, the persons doing the polling could get killed." The official insisted on anonymity for fear of putting his company's employees at risk.

Read the rest at the Washington Post

Related Link:
Poll: Most Iraqis favor immediate U.S. pullout, Kurds disagree