Public Perception Survey on Local Safety and Security in Iraq

In January 2021, UNDP conducted a survey on public perceptions of safety and security in Iraq. The survey is intended to inform the Government of Iraq’s Security Sector Reform Programme and is a follow-up from surveys undertaken in 2018 and 2016 to allow for comparison and assessment of changes on the ground. The 2021 survey was undertaken against a background of the COVID-19 health pandemic, the continuation of popular protest movements across Iraq, and ongoing counter insurgency operations against ISIL. Despite these challenges, the survey was administered to a random sample of 1,200 respondents that were representative across six governorates (Anbar, Baghdad, Basra, Karbala, Ninewa and Salah al-Din). The survey was structured around ten key questions, which sought to ascertain public perceptions of safety and security in the six governorates and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as popular protests, on feelings of security.