May 2025: Spotlight Interview with WAPOR WANA President Munqith Dagher (Iraq)

As one of the ‘younger’ WAPOR regional chapters, what have been the biggest challenges in establishing and growing WANA? What did you do to overcome them?

I remember it was quite a challenge to arrange a meeting for survey researchers in the WANA region to convince them about the importance of this step. The first WANA Director, Samir Rumman, made excellent efforts to achieve this goal. In my opinion, the biggest challenge is to overcome the perceived lack of importance of such a network for the development of this profession, as most of our members are not professional pollsters and only attend the annual conferences as part of their academic obligations.

How do you see the current and prospective membership of WANA? Do you expect more interest from commercial pollsters, or do you also see engagement from government agencies, NGOs, and academic researchers?

In the short run, I don’t expect a significant increase in membership, as we already have almost everyone in the region who is interested in opinion research as members. My plan is to promote the importance of this field of research in the region in order to attract more new members.

What future plans does WANA have to continue expanding its scope?

There are two things: More exposure and arranging the first face-to-face meeting in one of WANA cities.

Last year, WANA played a key role in organizing several webinars that helped to increase exposure. WAPOR also held its 2022 conference in Dubai. Are there any plans for hosting a regional conference in the near future? 

Discussions are currently taking place with other members to reach an agreement on the next conference location. As soon as we have made this decision, we will communicate it more widely.

What message would you convey to people, especially those new to the field of public opinion research, who wonder whether joining WANA can be fruitful?

Networks are so important for this career! To accomplish this, joining WANA could be one of the most important choices an early-career scholar or practitioner can make.

What activities has WANA organized and promoted since its founding? Which events are you most satisfied with?

We have run a couple of surveys about the Gaza War, focusing on people’s perceptions of the war. These have been conducted in multiple countries throughout the WANA region, using CATI and CAPI methodologies. And as you already mentioned, we also conducted several webinars. One of them, titled “Who Will Win the U.S. Elections?”, provided an in-depth analysis of the U.S. electoral landscape and its potential global implications. Webinars like this have attracted a large number of attendees.

What communication channels does WANA use to share information about its activities and events?

We do use LinkedIn and other social media platforms like Facebook and X to raise awareness of WANA events and activities. Emails are always used to keep members updated.

What are the main obstacles to conducting public opinion research in the WANA region today –– and how is WANA helping to overcome these challenges?

Polling is still an evolving industry in the region. Most of the countries suffered – or are still suffering – from totalitarian and/or nondemocratic regimes. True and frank opinions are the last thing that they want to reveal to the world. Virtually all polling firms are accused of being agents or funded by the “enemies” of the nation. It is not easy to work in this region of the world, and this is why it’s important to establish such professional networks as WANA. With that, I mean not only to promote the profession, but to share experiences and provide help in solving members’ problems.

Which promising trends or innovations do you see that could help improve the quality and reach of survey research in the region?

Although there are serious attempts to use innovative new technologies for opinion research in the region, such as CAWI, AI and social media research, I still believe that traditional methods of public opinion research will continue to be valid and reliable in the near future.

What role do organizations like WAPOR and WANA play in strengthening public opinion research in the region?

Our organizations need to promote the culture of public opinion research, academically and professionally. Fostering this culture among young researchers, academics and the media should be the main objective for WAPOR and WANA. The two webinars about the Gaza War and the U.S. election in cooperation with WAPOR have attracted a large audience and raised awareness of the importance of public opinion surveys in the region.

Are there other associations of pollsters or market researchers in the region? Does WANA collaborate with them or is there competition?

The polling organizations in the region are members of other professional organizations such as Gallup International. However, WANA is the only available regional association, and this is why it is important to be active –– and stay active.

Now we would like to hear a bit more about your own trajectory. First, what got you started in your career?

The week before the coalition forces entered Iraq in March 2003, I heard little of market research or public opinion polls. During these difficult times, I thought to myself, “Because I didn’t have anything to do but listen to bombs and the news, I tried to read some old books in my library.” And by chance there was one about public opinion surveys! I decided that if I had the opportunity to do research, I would do so.

Going back in time: From your perspective, what was public opinion in Iraq in 2003?

After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, there seemed to be only two voices talking in Iraq: The first voice was that of the occupying forces who said, “We came to liberate Iraq and to protect Iraqis from the past regime.” The other voice was that of the exiles who also said that they came to help, and that they represented the “true” Iraqis. We knew that neither voice was really representing Iraqis. Now we had an obligation: If we really wanted to oppose what was happening, we should have our voices heard all over the world!

And then you started your own business…

Yes, I teamed up with two friends, who then became my business partners –– and we decided to embark on that journey! I remember that date: It was the 16^th of April 2003. When I told them that I wanted to conduct a public opinion survey, they asked me, “What do you mean by public opinion surveys?” Like me, they were university professors, but didn’t know what I meant, as public opinion surveys were forbidden during the past regime in Iraq. Of course, in the universities, we conducted many surveys, but only with a sample of 20 or 30 people – and only for academic research. I sold my car, and my partners also sold things to fund this project. And 14 of my students in my MA and PhD-level courses agreed to work with me for free. My daughter and my son worked as “data punchers”. I used my own computer with a generator. It was like a family business, working in a big room with my son, my daughter, my partner’s son, my partner’s daughter, together with our students. I told them how to code the questionnaire and how to enter the data. After two weeks, I started fieldwork. This was the first ever official poll in Iraq’s history.

That’s impressive and certainly required a lot of passion and commitment to public opinion research. You took a lot of risks at the outset. Where are you now – more than 20 years later?  

Since that time, I have conducted thousands of public opinion surveys in the entire Middle East. I now run the so-called Al-Mustakella Group, which has five different research companies, with a total of 40 full-time employees and 350 interviewers throughout Iraq and the Middle East.

And when and how did you first get involved with WAPOR? How did you hear about WAPOR in the first place?

After joining two important polling organizations (Gallup International and ESOMAR), the name and importance of WAPOR rang loudly. Accordingly, I joined WAPOR in 2006.

Lastly, who have you learned from the most?

There are actually five persons from whom I have learned the most. First of all: George Gallup. He inspired me to start this career when I read his book “The Pulse of Democracy,” which underlined the importance of  public opinion surveys for democracy. I also remember Leslie Kish. Reading his famous book titled  “Survey Sampling” helped me a lot in better understanding survey methodology. It was the cornerstone for my  work as a pollster later on. Both Dina Smeltz and Joodi Nachtwey taught me all practical and methodological techniques of public opinion polling. And finally, David Noel: He was the first U.S. statistician I met who developed a solid methodology for my public opinion surveys.