Did Iraqis vote based on religion, ethnicity, tribe/family, or a leader they could trust?
Just over a week before the historic Iraqi election of January 30, 2005, an Abu Dhabi TV / Zogby International poll asked 805 Iraqi adults about their inclinations. The results are an invaluable barometer of Iraqi sentiment as the country moves into the next historic, no doubt tumultuous phase in its modern history. More than a third of Iraqis (36%) said they would vote for a leader they could trust. Just under a third (31%) said they would vote based on religious affiliation, while 14% would vote based on ethnicity and 10% based on tribe or family affiliation. Young people differ vastly from their seniors on this question. Contrary to the received idea that unemployed young men are particularly vulnerable to Islamic fundamentalism, only 19% of 18-24 year olds planned to vote along religious lines. The percentage almost doubles in the very next age group (34% of those 25-34), and averages 36% for all adults between 35 and 69. This difference may reflect the influence of marriage, but m
