If the looming possibility of war in Iraq fills you with worry and uncertainty, you're not alone.
According to a poll commissioned by MTV and conducted by Peter D. Hart Associates, the possibility of war with Iraq is the most important issue facing people between the ages of 14 and 24. Among a representative pool of hundreds of young people, 30 percent pointed to the notion of war with Iraq as the most important issue they face today. Drug use and abuse — the chief concern of young people in recent years — also resonated with 30 percent of those surveyed, tying it with the likelihood of war as the most important issue they currently face. Both issues topped the economy, safe sex/premarital sex/teen pregnancy, education, violence and peer pressure in the survey.
The results mark a distinct change in the attitude of young America, which has recently downplayed concern about international conflict and terrorism. Even in the immediate wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, those between the ages of 14 and 24 viewed issues surrounding drugs and sex as the most important to them.
International conflict and terrorism have leapt to the forefront of the minds of young people chiefly because most feel that war — and consequently increased terrorism close to home — are near certainties. Sixty percent of those surveyed think that war with Iraq is inevitable, and 57 percent think that if a war is waged, the U.S. will face a greater risk of terrorism.
Young people were even more concerned about the threat of nuclear attack, with some 60 percent of those surveyed saying that they are worried about nuclear weapons being used against the U.S. Thirty-three percent of young Americans perceive Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as the most serious nuclear threat facing the United States. North Korea (25 percent) and al Qaeda (22 percent) are also viewed as serious nuclear threats by a large number of those surveyed. Saddam Hussein is also perceived as a "real threat" to the United States and to the world by 75 percent of those surveyed, while 40 percent view Hussein as a threat to them personally.
Making the threat of war even more visceral is the fact that 67 percent of those surveyed personally know someone in the U.S. military. Among young Americans with friends or family members in the service, seven in 10 are worried that injury or death could befall that person.
Frustration and worry seem to be fueled by a high level of uncertainty surrounding the developing situation in Iraq. Fifty-one percent of young people consider themselves uninformed about the situation, as opposed to 48 percent who consider themselves informed.
While most young people, 69 percent, look to television news for information on the Iraqi conflict, most remain distrustful of the media when it comes to an honest assessment of the situation in Iraq. Sixty percent of those surveyed said that they trust their parents most of all when it comes to gathering opinions and processing information on Iraq. Fifty-five percent say that they trust the United Nations' take on the conflict, while 54 percent said they trust Secretary of State Colin Powell. A majority of young people remain skeptical about President Bush's views on Iraq (only 48 percent trust his opinions) while the news media's opinions are trusted by only 32 percent of those surveyed. Vocal celebrity activists have thus far failed to make an impression on young people, with only 8 percent of those surveyed trusting their take on the conflict, ranking them just above Saddam Hussein (whose opinions are trusted by 3 percent of young Americans).
This uncertainty has seemed to foster little but worry among young people. While a slim majority of young people (51 percent) support military action against Iraq, 58 percent say that they are unwilling to fight in such a war themselves. And while 42 percent of young Americans oppose military action, only 25 percent say that they would attend an anti-war rally.
While war seems a certainty, most young people (55 percent) feel that the United States should act only with the involvement of the United Nations. Only 19 percent think that the U.S. should take military action on its own without the support of other nations.
Comments