SAN FRANCISCO – California voters' support for the war in Iraq has dropped to a new low, with a clear majority saying the war is not worth the toll it's taken on American lives, a statewide poll found.
A nonpartisan Field Poll released Tuesday found that 60 percent of California's registered voters believe the war in Iraq is not worth the loss of American life and other costs, while 35 percent believe it is.
Voters split similarly when asked about Bush's handling of the war — 60 percent disapproved of his performance and 37 percent approved.
The poll, conducted May 18-23, was based on interviews with 388 registered voters and had a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The poll also found that a majority of California voters believe the United States is seriously off track, a barometer researchers consider crucial for predicting an election's outcome. Fifty-four percent said they believe the country is on the wrong track, while 37 percent said it's headed in the right direction.
Among California adults, whether registered to vote or not, criticism of the war was higher. The poll found that by a 2-to-1 margin — 63 percent to 31 percent — California residents don't believe the war in Iraq is worth the loss of U.S. life and other costs.
The poll showed that disapproval of the war cut across all the state's regions, both sexes and virtually all demographic groups. Only registered Republicans and people who call themselves politically conservative still believe the war has been worth the costs.
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