For Immediate Release
**Please credit Arab Barometer**
A new Arab Barometer survey reveals the evolving views of Iraqis on pressing national and regional issues. This Wave VIII survey provides insights into public concerns, including economic hardship, corruption, gender equality, and climate change, as well as reactions to the ongoing Gaza crisis and shifting geopolitical dynamics. The findings underscore cautious optimism about domestic reforms under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, while ongoing concerns about regional instability remain prominent.
Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted from May 13 to July 19, 2024, and is based on a nationally representative sample of 2,408 Iraqi citizens. Participants were interviewed face-to-face in both Arabic and Kurdish. The survey’s margin of error is ±2 percentage points, with the sample representing all governorates of Iraq, except for Duhok.
The survey was carried out by the Independent Institute for Administration and Civil Society Studies (IIACSS) , Arab Barometer’s national partner in Iraq. The previous survey in Iraq was conducted in 2021-2022.
Key Findings
Below are the highlights from the largest publicly available survey of its kind in Iraq in 2024:
Corruption and Economic Concerns Persist
- Corruption remains Iraq’s top challenge, with 33% identifying it as the most pressing issue. Notably, public perception of government efforts to tackle corruption has improved, rising to 42% in 2024—a 14-point increase since 2022.
- Economic struggles dominate concerns: 45% of Iraqis identify unemployment as the most pressing economic issue, while housing shortages are a significant challenge, with 76% saying it is a problem to a great or medium extent.
- Widespread food insecurity: Over half of Iraqi households (53%) face food insecurity, prompting reliance on negative coping strategies.
- Adapting to scarcity: To cope with food scarcity, 40% of Iraqis rely on less preferred or cheaper foods at least four days per week, 39% purchase food on credit, 31% reduce meal portions, and 21% borrow money to afford food.
- Government blamed: 61% of Iraqis attribute food-related problems to government mismanagement.
Rising Optimism About Iraq’s Economy
- Optimism about Iraq’s economic future is on the rise for the first time since 2013, with 38% of Iraqis expressing hope—an increase of nine points from 29% in 2022.
Positive evaluations of government efforts have increased:
- Improved perceptions of job creation: The share of Iraqis who say the government is doing a good or very good job creating employment opportunities has risen from 6% in 2018 to 26% in 2024.
- Progress on inflation control: Those commending the government for managing inflation increased, with 30% of Iraqis saying it is doing a good or very good job in 2024, up from 19% in 2022.
Improvement in Public Services
- Public services top priority: Despite economic challenges, Iraqis prioritize government spending on public services, with 24% favoring education and 21% preferring healthcare for the upcoming fiscal year.
- Varied satisfaction with public services: While civil defense (69%) and water supply (56%) receive higher satisfaction rates, fewer than half of Iraqis say they are completely satisfied or satisfied with services like internet (49%), street quality (45%), trash collection (43%), electricity (38%), education (38%), and healthcare (36%).
- Improved evaluations over time: Although satisfaction remains low, evaluations of public services have risen by over 10% in the last two years, contributing to an increase in overall government performance ratings from 29% to 45%.
Trust in Public Institutions
- Trust in leadership over time: After 21 months in office, trust in Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani stands at 45% nationwide, according to Arab Barometer Wave VIII (2024). By comparison, his predecessor, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, had a trust rating of 35% at the same point in his term, based on Wave VII data (2022). Al-Sudani’s trust levels surpass those of Iraq’s president (34%) and tribal leaders (39%) but remain slightly below religious leaders (48%).
- Mixed confidence in institutions: Trust in Iraq’s government has risen to 34% in 2024—an 8-point increase since 2022—while confidence in other institutions remains low. Trust in parliament stands at 21% (largely unchanged from 19% in 2022), and trust in civil society organizations has declined from 41% in 2022 to 34%. Meanwhile, trust in the legal system remains steady at 42%, unchanged since 2018.
- Higher confidence in security forces: Among Iraq’s institutions, the armed forces (77%) and police (71%) are the only ones to garner widespread confidence nationwide.
Elections and Reform
With Iraq’s next parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2025, concerns about voter engagement and trust in the electoral process remain significant:
- Skepticism about past elections: Only 18% of Iraqis viewed the 2021 parliamentary elections as free and fair, with an additional 28% considering them free and fair with minor problems.
- Low confidence in election integrity: Nearly four in five Iraqis (79%) believe voters are frequently or sometimes bribed, and only 42% think votes are counted fairly.
- Challenges to voter turnout: Although 54% of Iraqis express intent to vote in 2025, turnout could replicate the record-low 41% seen in 2023.
Entrenched Norms and Stalled Progress
- Traditional gender roles persist: While 72% of Iraqis believe men are better suited for political leadership—a view unchanged for a decade—77% support gender quotas in parliament, and 80% back reserving cabinet positions for women, reflecting growing recognition of the need for representation.
- Family decision-making remains male-dominated: 65% of Iraqis assert that men should have the final say in household decisions, a view unchanged since 2018.
Support for Equality, But Workforce Barriers Remain
- Support for workplace equality: 80% of Iraqis agree men and women should have equal work opportunities, with women (86%) more likely than men (74%) to support this view. However, 48% believe men have greater freedom than women in choosing a job, while 45% think both genders have equal freedom. Women are more likely than men to perceive equality in job opportunities.
- Barriers to workforce entry: For men, the primary barrier to entering the workforce is the lack of available jobs (63%), while for women, societal acceptability (29%) ranks second after job availability (35%). Other key barriers for women include lack of childcare options (20%) and low wages (19%).
- Harassment and violence concerns: 79% of Iraqis believe workplace harassment of women is common, while 82% express similar concerns about harassment in public spaces. A smaller share (12%) reports that women face harassment from family members, with both men and women showing similar levels of concern. 40% of Iraqis say abuse and violence against women has increased in the past year, while 37% say it has remained the same. Only 6% believe it was never a problem.
- Support for repealing “marry your rapist” law: 55% of Iraqis support repealing the law that allow rapists to marry their victims to avoid punishment. Women (58%) are slightly more likely than men (52%) to hold this view.
Climate Change Awareness and Responsibility
- Water scarcity tops environmental concerns: 41% of Iraqis identify water-related issues, including pollution of drinking water (26%), lack of resources (12 %) and pollution of water ways (3%), as the biggest environmental challenge facing the country. Only 12% mention climate change as the primary problem.
- Environmental Challenges and daily impacts: A vast majority of Iraqis (89%) report being affected to a great or medium extent by extreme temperatures, with nearly as many concerned about air pollution (88%) and water scarcity (85%).
- Public support for climate action: In Iraq, over half the population associates “climate change” primarily with “extreme temperatures.” Notably, 61% of Iraqis believe their fellow citizens contribute to climate change to a great or medium extent, while 74% say Iraqis should take responsibility for addressing it. Additionally, 81% see climate change as a critical threat to national security, and 59% of the public express a preference for the national government to do more to address the issue.
- Strong support for alternative energy: 92% of Iraqis favor prioritizing alternative energy development, with 71% strongly or somewhat favoring the phase-out of fossil fuel production—a notable indication of the public’s high appetite for diversifying energy sources in Iraq.
International Relations
- Perceptions of Israel’s Actions in Gaza: A significant share of Iraqis (32%) describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and another 26% call them a “massacre.” About half of Iraqis label Israel’s actions as forms of “terrorism,” including bombing and killing civilians (71%), assaulting civilian infrastructure (61%), blockading Gaza (55%), and forcing displacement of Gazan civilians (49%).
- Limited Terrorism Labels for Hamas and Hezbollah: In stark contrast, far fewer Iraqis attribute the label of terrorism to Hamas’s actions, including rocket attacks on Israeli civilians (16%), hostage kidnappings (16%), border town lethal attacks (15%), or Hezbollah’s strikes on Northern Israel (14%).
- Divisions in Terrorism Perceptions Across Regions: Iraqis under Government of Iraq (GOI) governance are more likely to label Israel’s actions as terrorism, with gaps of 31 points on Gaza’s blockade, 23 points on forced displacement, and 21 points on bombings. In contrast, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) residents are 11 points more likely to view Hezbollah’s attacks and 9 points more likely to view Hamas’s kidnappings as terrorism.
- Support for a Two-State Solution: Nationally, 59% of Iraqis support a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with strong backing from GOI-governed areas (63%). However, only 29% in the KRI favor this approach, where support is equally split between a two-state solution and a Palestinian-Israeli confederation.
- Favorability Toward Global Powers: While U.S. favorability is low nationwide (28%) and declined 7 points between 2022 and 2024, it remains higher in the KRI (60%) compared to GOI areas (23%). Meanwhile, China is favored by a majority (64%), with a 10-point rise in positive views since 2022 across both regions.
- Views on Iran’s Role: Amid the Gaza war, support for stronger economic ties with Iran has risen to 42% in 2024 (up 11 points since 2022), and favorability toward Iran has increased from 24% to 34%. Despite this, majorities view Iran’s regional influence (70%) and nuclear program (75%) as critical threats to national security, second only to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories (82%).
For further details and access to the full report, click here
Please credit Arab Barometer in any dissemination.
ENDS //
Arab Barometer Media Resources
For media inquiries, please contact Aseel Alayli, Director of Brand, Marketing and Global Communications, at aalayli@princeton.edu.
• Website: www.arabbarometer.org
• Resources for Media: www.arabbarometer.org/media-news
• FAQ: www.arabbarometer.org/frequently-asked-questions
• About Arab Barometer: www.arabbarometer.org/about
• Methodology: www.arabbarometer.org/survey-data/methodology
