other governments in the region, as does support for President Daniel Ortega. The policies of the United States are roundly disliked while those of Cuba and the Soviet Union earned wide support.

Far more people identified with the FSLN than with any other political party: 28%, compared with 3% for both the Liberals and Social Christians. Total support for all four opposition parties named by the respondents amounted to only 9%. But the biggest group by far was the 59% of those surveyed who did not identify with any political party.

War and peace:
Foreign policy issues

There is more national unity on foreign than on domestic issues. To the open question, "What do you believe is the main cause of the war in Nicaragua?," 47% of those surveyed blamed the UnitedStates and/or its contra allies. Only 16% directly or indirectly blamed the FSLN—8% blamed the governing party outright, 6% said the war was due to lack of democracy, and 2% put it to "totalitarianism" or "communism." Only three people blamed the Soviet Union or Cuba.

Similarly, there was overwhelming opposition to further US aid to the contras from every group in society: 85% said no, 9% said yes. True to form, that opposition was greatest among young men in upper- and middle-class neighborhoods (90%), while support for the contras was greatest among older men in the same suburbs (17%).

The survey showed a strong spirit of national reconciliation. People may strongly oppose US aid to the contras but they supported the incorporation of the contras into Nicaraguan political life as