Fatality sensitivity in coalition countries: a study of British, Polish and Australian public opinion on the Iraq war

This paper investigates the fatality sensitivity of public opinion in coalition countries, i.e. those that participate in war efforts but are not a leading force. The analysis is based on the war-related opinion polls from the United Kingdom, Poland and Australia. Overall, the data does not provide a clear evidence of sensitivity to soldier casualties. However, the public appears sensitive to the intensity of terrorism in Iraq, which may be considered as a measure of success of the war efforts, dominating other indicators in the absence of frequent soldier fatalities. The results also show that news of success has a power to reduce war opposition, while scandals are costly in terms of public support.