Iraq Television Viewership Poll
Department of State, Office Intelligence and Research

October 16, 2003 M-146-03

TV Is a Crucial Information Source for Iraqis
Conducted and prepared by the State Department Office of Research

Iraq Media Network Earns Large Local TV Audience and Holds Its Own Among Satellite Viewers

The first State Department poll in Iraq indicates that most urban Iraqis have only local television networking, though a third overall have satellite access. Given this current situation, the Iraq Media Network (IMN) has wide reach and a significant following, but findings suggest that its influence will likely be rivaled as satellite dishes become more widespread.

Local Iraqi Television Is an Essential Source of News for Publics

The seven-city survey of urban Iraqis shows that local Iraqi television (62%) is by far the most frequently relied upon medium for acquiring information and news about Iraq. About a fifth (26%) rely on foreign television for news about their country, while much smaller percentages look to other information sources, such as Iraqi newspapers (5%), Iraqi radio (2%), foreign radio (2%), or discussions with family and friends (1%) (See figure below).

Local TV-Access Is More Widespread; A Third Have Access to a Home Satellite

Nearly all (93%) Iraqis report owning a television, and about a third (33%) have access to a satellite dish either at home, a friend’s residence, or at work (See figure, next page)¹; two-thirds (62%) report that they have no satellite access at all.

Results are based on face-to-face interviews conducted during August 25-September 5, 2003, among 1,444 urban Iraqi adults (18 years-old and over) in seven cities, including Baghdad, Ramadi, Fallujah, Basrah, Najaf, Suleymania, and Erbil. The margin of error for the entire sample (1,444) is ±3%, and the margin of error for Baghdad is ±5%. The errors for the other individual cities are larger due to the sample size (see Pg. 5 for polling methodology).

1. However, the wide majority (85%) of this group is comprised of Iraqis with access at home rather than at other places. Of the total survey sample, about 30 percent report that they have access to a satellite only in the home.

Satellites More Widespread Among Better Educated, and in the North

Satellite access is most prevalent among Iraqis with a secondary-level education or higher, in a likely reflecting a degree of affluence. Significantly, post-college graduates are three times more likely to have access to satellite television than those with a primary education or lower.

Across Iraq, majorities in the northern cities of Erbil (73%) and Suleymania (60%) report access to satellite television, while half (55%) do in Ramadi. Only a third indicate access in Baghdad (32%) or Najaf (27%), and just 7 percent do in Basrah.

Most Iraqis Receive the IMN

A first look at the status of the new U.S.-supported IMN shows that a substantial majority (83%) of Iraqis can receive the IMN without difficulty. Penetration levels are widest in Baghdad, Ramadi, Fallujah, Najaf, and Basrah, where between 74 and 95 percent receive IMN. By contrast, station coverage is far lower in the Kurdish-dominated north (Suleymania 26%; Erbil 9%).

For News, Local-TV Viewers Use IMN, But IMN Faces Competition For Satellite Audiences

When asked to select from a list the one station they relied on the most for news about events concerning Iraq, a plurality (36%) of the survey public overall turns to IMN. However, IMN viewership clearly differs according to satellite access:

§ Among Iraqis with only local television networking, 59 percent surveyed depend on the IMN for news about their country (see Table 1).

§ Among Iraqis with satellite access, the pan-Arab Al-Arabia (37%) and Al-Jazeera (26%) are the networks of choice for obtaining news, followed by IMN (12%) (See Table 1).

IMN viewing frequency patterns are also influenced by satellite access. Among those with local television, at least 40 percent in most of the survey cities watch IMN three or more times a week, with the exception of the northern cities of Erbil and Suleymania (see Table 2). Among Iraqis with satellite access, roughly 30 to 60 percent in each city watch that often. Again, Iraqis in the north tune in far less frequently (8% or less), due to IMN’s narrower reach there and greater accessibility to satellite channels.

Importantly, satellite viewing audiences are far more likely to find pan-Arab channels credible: Choosing from a list the channel they trust most to report the news accurately, Iraqis most often pick Al-Arabia and Al-Jazeera. Though few (6%) among the satellite viewing public deem the IMN trustworthy, a third of local audiences without satellite access do (See Table 1, Page 2).

Iraqis with intermediate and lower education levels are more likely to rely on IMN for news (between 40% and 55%) than other channels. But among well-educated Iraqis, IMN (23%) is about as popular as Al-Arabia (29%) and Al-Jazeera (18%). In a pattern reflecting IMN’s reach, the network’s news broadcasts draw much larger audiences among Arabs in the Arab-dominated cities in central and southern Iraq (27% to 58%). However, Kurds in the north tend to watch Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabia (about 20% each); but Baghdad Kurds prefer IMN (47%).

Baghdadis Weigh in On IMN and Pan-Arab Channels

A Gallup poll of Baghdad residents suggests that Iraqis find pan-Arab networks have multidimensional appeal vis-à-vis the IMN. When asked to rate a variety of channels along select dimensions, the prevailing view is that Al-Arabia and Al-Jazeera are the first to break the news, are bold, and objective. Smaller percentages say the same about IMN, though fairly equal percentages praise IMN as well as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia for being supportive of the Iraqi people. Interestingly, the IMN is no more likely to be seen as having a pro-U.S./pro-British bias than other pan-Arab channels, but a quarter think that Al-Jazeera is far more likely than other stations to be considered pro-Saddam in its reporting (See Table 3).

1. Results from the Gallup survey mirror this pattern: when respondents were queried whether they do or do not watch select channels regardless of place, a majority (85%) tune in to IMN; smaller percentages watch Al-Jazeera (25%), Al-Arabia (25%), Al-Alam (25%), Al-Hurriyah (20%), or Abu Dhabi-TV (19%), while BBC World (7%), Kuwait Satellite (7%) and CNN (4%) attract even fewer viewers.

Local Iraq Radio Is Preferred Over Others

Iraqi radio listenership appears substantially more fragmented than that of television. Though a plurality (36%) do not mention usage of any radio station as a key source of news, the next largest percentage (16%) most frequently look to Iraq/Baghdad Radio, and about a tenth depends on Radio Sawa (10%) and BBC (10%). Few rely on Monte Carlo (6%) or Iran radio (5%) for information. No other radio station earns more than 2 percent of the Iraqi listening audience.

Only a Third Report Access to Land-Line Telephones

In other findings, only a handful (5%) of Iraqis polled say that they have access to a cellular phone; a larger minority (38%) report access to a land-line telephone. Internet access among Iraqis, meanwhile, appears to be on a par with levels found in other Middle East countries, with only 3 percent indicating access to the information highway (See figure on Page 1.)

Issued by the Office of Research

Prepared by Audra K. Grant (R/NA: 202-203-7929)

Methodology

The Office of Research Survey

Face-to-face interviews were conducted among 1,444 Iraqi adults residing in the cities of Baghdad, Najaf, Basra, Ramadi, Falluja, Erbil and Suleymania. Interviews were carried out between August 20 and September 5. The overall response rate was 89 percent, ranging from 93% in Baghdad to 100% in Suleymania and Erbil. Eleven percent of those selected refused to participate in the study.

A multi-stage probability-based sample was drawn, utilizing residential listings from Iraq’s 1997 Population and Housing Census. Census sub-districts were utilized as primary sampling units (PSUs), with each PSU being selected using probability-proportional-to-size procedures. Due to the size of Baghdad, the city was stratified by neighborhood to ensure that all city areas were represented in the sample. Interviewers were given all address details for households at four sampling points within each PSU. Within each selected household, one respondent was randomly selected using the last birthday method.

The margin of error, assuming a 95% confidence level and the clustering effects of a multi-stage design, is approximately ± 3.4% for the overall sample. The margin of error varies across the samples of the individual cities as follows:

The Gallup Survey

Face-to-face interviews were conducted among 1,178 adults who resided in urban areas within the governorate of Baghdad. Interviews were carried out between August 28 and September 4. The response rate was 97 percent; 3 percent of those selected refused to participate in the study.

A probability-based sample was drawn utilizing 1997 census data. Census districts were utilized as primary sampling units (PSUs). A total of 122 PSUs were chosen using probability-proportional-to-size methods. About 10 interviews, one per household, were conducted at each location. Interviewers were given all relevant address details for each PSU. Within each selected household, respondents were selected using the Kish method.

For the results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of error is approximately ± 2.7%.

The Zogby Survey

Face-to-face interviews were conducted among of total of 600 Iraqi adults in 4 cities. Fifty-eight interviews were completed in Mosul, 90 in Kirkuk, 326 in Basrah, and 125 in Ramadi. Interviews were carried out between August 3 and August 19.

Respondents were identified and interviewed in public places, such as shopping malls and coffee shops, in neighborhoods of differing socio-economic make-up. Respondents were chosen at each location by taking into consideration their ethnic backgrounds, gender, religion, and social class of individuals. No margin of error can be calculated.