USAID/Iraq perception and opinion study

Data collected comprised a review of the media landscape, a sub-national household survey of 1,522 respondents, a crowdsource survey of 1,200–2,700 respondents, 15 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 17 key informant interviews (KIIs). Overall findings indicated that (1) the overall level of awareness of USAID was low at 13 percent, though awareness was higher among respondents from the crowdsource survey at around 30 percent; (2) the reported sighting of USAID branding lags behind United Nations (UN) actors, but USAID has the highest level of brand recognition; (3) nearly two-thirds of Iraqi respondents who are aware of USAID have a positive perception of the agency, but respondents from the crowdsource survey are more critical; (4) exposure to the USAID logo or a USAID media message is associated with a higher probability of reporting a positive perception of USAID; (5) awareness of a USAID-branded activity is associated with a lower perception of the government of Iraq; and (6) respondents primarily rely on television, internet, and social media for information. Recommendations for USAID include (1) expand efforts to communicate USAID support to the people of Iraq in a manner that is not tied to the geopolitical context and (2) continue data collection to chart the trajectory of perception of USAID in response to exposure to specific programming or messaging from USAID.