Soldier Survey

WELCOME!

These are results from the survey of 61 Iraq war veterans, based on the number of questionnaires that were returned to us by the early spring of 2007. A few more have come in since then but are not included in the current statistics. The study will be continued next year, and we'll post updates or revisions as warranted.

What you see below are the various sections of the study, with cover letter, questionnaire, and final paper (“Blaming the Innocent”). These are followed by graphs showing participants’ demographics.

We presented the study at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference held at University of Massachusetts at Amherst on April 27, 2007.

We thank all the veterans who returned questionnaires even though they were probably uncomfortable to think about.

Please feel free to send comments or questions to the e-mail address given at the end of the paper.

--Deirdre, Leah, Haili, Jesslyn, and Megan

"You should publish this," a conference attendee advises Berkshire Community College alumna Haili Polo-Neil, who originated a study of cognitive dissonance in Iraq War veterans.  With four others at BCC, Polo-Neil found that American soldiers who'd been directly involved in killing Iraqis rated the war more favorably--and American civilians less favorably--than did soldiers who had not killed. The authors, whose relatives have served in Iraq, showed their poster at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference April 27, 2007.  (Wayne Klug photo)		Presenting a study of cognitive dissonance in Iraq War veterans: Berkshire Community College students Megan Warriner, Leah Dillard, Haili Polo-Neil, and Deirdre Barry with Dr. Wayne Klug, BCC Professor of Psychology, at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference, UMass Amherst, April 27, 2007. The students, whose relatives have served in Iraq, found that American soldiers who'd been directly involved in killing Iraqis rated the war more favorably--and American civilians less favorably--than did soldiers who had not killed. (Stacy Evans photo)

Read the cover letter: coverletter.doc, coverletter.pdf
Read the questionnaire: soldier_survey.doc, soldier_survey.pdf
Read the Blaming the Innocent paper: MCUR_paper.doc, MCUR_paper.pdf

GRAPHS