ABC/Time Poll: Iraqis Optimistic

Hard on the heels of their Afghan poll, which contradicted much of the mainstream media's conventional wisdom, ABC is now reporting the results of a similar poll in Iraq. The poll shows what ABC characterizes as "surprising levels of optimism":

An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.

Surprisingly, given the insurgents' attacks on Iraqi civilians, more than six in 10 Iraqis feel very safe in their own neighborhoods, up sharply from just 40 percent in a poll in June 2004. And 61 percent say local security is good — up from 49 percent in the first ABC News poll in Iraq in February 2004.

Here's a little nugget that should give the MSM pause, but probably won't:

The number of Iraqis who say things are going well in their country overall is just 44 percent, far fewer than the 71 percent who say their own lives are going well. Fifty-two percent instead say the country is doing badly.

What explains this anomaly? Relentlessly pessimistic news reporting. The same thing happens in the US. For example, by objective measures, the US economy is doing well, but, with a Republican in the White House and mid-term elections coming up, mainstream media journalists are striving to emphasize the negatives. Thus many people are optimisitc about their own circumstances, but convinced that the economy is tanking.

Thanks to OpiniPundit, via The Jawa Report.