Surveys conducted in November 2004 and April 2006 by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and Eastern Michigan University found that Iraqi public opinion has shifted toward more secular and nationalistic values, even as hostility toward Americans increased. The share of Iraqis who said they would not want American neighbors climbed from 87 percent to 90 percent, and 76 percent cited oil as the primary motive behind the US invasion.
Support for separating religion from politics grew substantially, with 41 percent of respondents in 2006 strongly backing that position, up from 27 percent in 2004. The proportion identifying as "Iraqi above all" rose from 23 percent to 28 percent nationally, and jumped from 30 percent to 62 percent among Baghdad residents.
The share of Iraqis describing themselves as Muslim Arabs rather than Shi'a or Sunni Arabs doubled, from 6 percent to 14 percent, suggesting a possible softening of sectarian identity. Inter-ethnic trust between Sunnis and Kurds improved even as Shi'a-Sunni trust declined.
Feelings of insecurity also intensified: 59 percent of respondents in 2006 strongly agreed that Iraqi life had become unpredictable and dangerous, compared with 46 percent in 2004. Researcher Mansoor Moaddel said growing secular sentiment among Sunnis could make al-Qaeda recruitment "more difficult" in Iraq.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in August 2006, in its own words.