ITEM OF INTEREST
December 20, 2005

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Arab Attitudes: 2005

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Editor's Note:

In October 2005 a project to interview citizens in six Arab countries -- Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- was conducted under the aegis of Zogby International.   The respondents, randomly chosen from different neighborhoods in various cities of each country, were asked about a number of social issues including:  concerns facing  their country and personal life, the acceptability of women working outside the home, how one describes oneself to another Arab and a Westerner, attitudes toward the United States, likelihood of peace, and employment issues.  

The project included 800 interviews in Saudi Arabia -- in Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca -- which yielded results that will be of interest to the readers and visitors of SUSRIS.  We are pleased today to share the report's Executive Summary and a selection of the interview results.  The complete report is available on-line.

SUSRIS would like to thank Dr. James Zogby, senior analyst and project director for permission to share this report with you.

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Attitudes of Arabs: 2005
December 2005

Report by:
James Zogby, Senior Analyst and Project Director
Young Arab Leaders and The Arab American Institute

Submitted by Zogby International, John Zogby, President and CEO
Copyright 2005 Zogby International

Executive Summary

1.  The most important political issues facing the Arab world are largely the same in 2005 as they were in 2004: expanding employment, improving health care, and education ranking first, second, and fourth.  In third place is an issue we did not include in our 2004 poll; ending corruption and nepotism.  It is noteworthy that "resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" has dropped from second place in 2004 to seventh place in this year's survey.

2.  The most important concerns in personal life are matters close to home; family, qualify of work, marriage, and religion.  The significance of religion has declined in most countries and is in 5th place among younger Arabs.

3.  Overall, Arabs appear to be satisfied with their present situation and optimistic about their future.  Most significant changes occurred in Lebanon where both optimism and satisfaction doubled since 2002.

4.  Significant majorities of Arabs in all countries accept women in the work place, especially if the reason is to provide financial support for their families, and smaller majorities also support women working for other reasons: "to find a fulfilling career" or "because she wants to work."

5.  In 2005, more Arabs prefer to self-identify with their country of origin, than with their religion, or "being Arab."  In 2002, religion and sect were principle self-identifiers.

6.  Overall, favorable attitudes toward the U.S. have rebounded since 2004, but are still slightly lower than the already low 2002 ratings.  Negative attitudes toward the U.S. have hardened due largely to Iraq and "American treatment of Arabs and Muslims."

7.  There is a growing pessimism toward "the likelihood of peace."  Positive attitudes have dropped in most countries, most notably in Egypt and Jordan.

8.  Only in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates do Arabs report optimism in the promise of finding a job in their own country.  Majorities, in the other four countries polled, report that they would relocate to another country to find work.

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A Sample of Survey Results

[Complete report is available on-line.]

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Related Material:

• Saudis Reject Bin Laden and Terrorism By Dr. James J. Zogby - SUSRIS IOI - Aug. 13, 2003
• Attitude of Arabs: 2005 (Complete report)

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About the Project Director

Dr. James J. Zogby is founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. Since 1985, Dr. Zogby and AAI have led Arab American efforts to secure political empowerment in the U.S. Through voter registration, education and mobilization, AAI has moved Arab Americans into the political mainstream.

For the past three decades, Dr. Zogby has been involved in a full range of Arab American issues. A co-founder and chairman of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign in the late 1970s, he later co-founded and served as the Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. In 1982, he co-founded Save Lebanon, Inc., a private non-profit, humanitarian and non-sectarian relief organization which funds health care for Palestinian and Lebanese victims of war, and other social welfare projects in Lebanon. In 1985, Zogby founded AAI.   [more]