Two decades after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, a growing, vocal majority of Iraqis are expressing a collective pessimism about the current situation in the country. This prompted Munqith Dagher, one of Iraq’s leading pollsters, to ask contemporary Iraqis the same questions he posed to Iraqis 20 years ago.  

For a new poll conducted by Almustakilla, the Independent Institute of Administration and Civil Society Studies, with the BBC and ORB International, Dagher and his team performed face-to-face interviews with 3,000 Iraqis of diverse backgrounds. What does the new poll reveal about Iraq and its geographic and ethnic divergences and similarities? To what degree do the results reflect nostalgia for the former regime? What differences are there among younger Iraqis? What are the main concerns of Iraqis, and who do they hold responsible for outcomes?