Most Iraqis say their lives not going well

Six in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going badly, and only one-third expect things to improve in the next year, a poll published on Monday showed.

The survey of 2,212 Iraqis, sponsored jointly by USA TODAY, ABC News, the British Broadcasting Corp. and ARD, a German TV network, found that four years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iraqis said their daily lives have been torn apart by spiraling violence and a faltering economy.

The optimism reported in a 2004 public-opinion survey taken a year after the invasion and another in 2005, before landmark legislative elections, has nearly vanished.

The survey represents a dramatic deterioration in just 16 months, a reflection of how the security situation and quality of life in Iraq have unraveled. In an ABC News poll in November 2005, seven in 10 Iraqis said their lives were good and nearly as many predicted things would get better.

Kurds, who make up 15 to 20 percent of the Iraqi population, describe the fewest problems and express the most optimism about progress in the next year. Shiites, who make up about 60 percent of the population, say they're struggling, but many remain hopeful about Iraq's long-term future. Sunni Arabs, another 15-20 percent of the population, express almost universal desperation, according to the poll.

Conditions in Baghdad are worse than elsewhere for Sunnis and Shiites. Of the 429 Baghdad residents surveyed, no one felt safe in his or her own neighborhood. Everyone interviewed in the capital said he or she often avoided even going outside because of violence.

Beyond Baghdad, the security situation is better, albeit only relatively so. Across the country, Iraqis say the basics of day-to-day living have deteriorated. On each of 13 aspects of life -- from security to the availability of cooking fuel and medical care -- a majority rated conditions as bad.

In the poll, most Iraqis say they have altered their daily routines to accommodate the realities of violence:

More than two-thirds are careful about what they say about themselves to other people;

Fifty-five percent try to avoid passing public buildings, often the target of suicide bombers; and fifty-four percent stay away from markets and crowded areas.

The poll, taken from Feb. 25 to March 5, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.