GQR’s most recent national survey for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) shows the optimism felt after the conflict with ISIS is beginning to wane as both Shia and Sunni are deeply concerned with unemployment and basic services like electricity and water. Concerns with security also increase, as more than 7 in 10 Iraqis say they are very or somewhat concerned about the reemergence of ISIS and other extremist groups and about a third say security is getting worse, despite high levels of trust in Iraqi security forces.
The May 2018 parliamentary election did little to improve Iraqi views toward government and their elections as an effective means for bringing about change. Only 24% say they trust the Iraqi government a lot or somewhat, down 11 points in 6 months. Less than 1 in 5 (19%) think those elections were mostly free and fair, and a 62% majority say these elections make them feel like they have little say in the direction the country is going. This is in strong contrast to views toward the most recent protests throughout Iraq as 76% of Iraqis say they approve of the protests and 46% view them as very or somewhat effective in influencing government’s actions.
The survey fielded from August to October 2018, based on 14,582 face-to-face interviews, and also explores views toward the participation of women in Iraqi politics and society, sectarianism in the country, and ways to improve the job situation. GQR has conducted focus groups and surveys for NDI in Iraq since 2010, in cooperation with JPM Strategic Solutions and IIACSS.
The full report from NDI can be found here.