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Arab/Muslim Public Opinion Polls: Opinion of Arab Youth

How important are each of the following to you? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2011
2012
being paid a fair wage
63%
82%
owning my own home
61%
65%
living in a democratic country
68%
58%
living without fear of terrorism
62%
58%
having access to high speed internet
55%
55%
having access to the best colleges/universities
57%
54%
being able to afford luxuries
58%
51%
living in a safe neighborhood
64%
51%
being able to get married and start a family
62%
50%
having access to reliable healthcare
70%
50%

How concerned would you say you are about each of the following issues? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2011
2012
rising cost of living
57%
63%
dangers of drugs
39%

49%

the economy
35%
48%
threat of terrorism*
n/a
46%
the loss of traditional values
32%
44%
unemployment
42%
44%
standard of living
43%
43%
opportunities for women
40%
43%
Middle East conflicts
28%
41%
human rights
38%
41%
corruption in government and
16%
42%
rise of Islamist movements/role of
40%
40%
civil unrest*
n/a
40%
transport and road safety
31%
39%
personal debt
27%
38%
the quality of education
31%
37%
* response added in 2012 survey

Which of the following would you say is the biggest challenge facing the Middle East today? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2011
2012
rising cost of living
46%
54%
corruption in government and public life
16%
42%
the economy
24%
33%
unemployment
33%
27%
human rights
26%
25%
Middle East conflicts
12%
22%
personal debt
15%
19%
loss of traditional values & culture
16%
19%
dangers of drugs
21%
18%
international conflicts
12%
15%
crime/law and order
13%
15%
the gap between rich and poor
21%
14%
standard of living in your country
10%
14%
civil unrest
n/a
11%
transport and road safety
10%
11%
shortage of affordable housing
11%
10%
quality of education
15%
10%
rise of Islamist movements/role of Islam
6%
9%
opportunities for women
18%
9%
shortage of good quality health care
7%
8%
lack of political franchise
6%
8%
access to clean water
8%
7%
reliable electricity supply
11%
6%
censorship/lack of press freedom
9%
6%
climate change & environment
12%
6%

Thinking about the last five years, do you think things in your country of residence are going in the right direction or are they going in the wrong direction? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2011
2012
Right direction
58%
62%
Wrong direction
30%
27%
Don't know
12%
11%

Do you agree or disagree with the following? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

Following the uprisings across the Arab world I feel the Arab world is better off

agree a lot/somewhat
72%
disagree somewhat/a lot
24%
don't know
4%

As a result of the uprising, I feel I will be better off in five years

agree a lot/somewhat
71%
disagree somewhat/a lot
24%
don't know
5%

Following the uprising, I am personally better off now than I was a year ago

agree a lot/somewhat
68%
disagree somewhat/a lot
28%
don't know
4%

How far do you agree or disagree with the following? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
agree a lot/somewhat
Following the uprisings across the Arab world, I feel the Arab world is better off
72%
As a result of the uprising, I feel I will be better off in five years
71%
Following the uprising, I am personally better off now than I was a year ago
68%
Recent changes in my country make me feel anxious about what the future holds
46%
Following the uprising in the Arab world, I feel uncertain about the future of my country
40%

Which of the following statements is closer to your view? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

I feel optimistic about what the future holds for my country
66%
I feel anxious about what the future will bring
28%
Don't know
6%

Which of the following statements is closer to your view? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

I feel like I have more opportunities than I did a year ago
60%
I feel like I have fewer opportunities now than I did a year ago
31%
Don't know
10%

Which of the following statements is closer to your view? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

Our best days are ahead of us
72%
Our best days are behind us
20%
Don't know
8%

How far do you agree or disagree with the following? Your government has become more trustworthy and transparent since the Arab Spring. (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

agree a lot/somewhat
72%
disagree a lot/somewhat
18%
don't know
10%

Do you think the protests will spread to any new Arab countries? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

Yes
24%
No
59%
Don't know
17%

Which of the following statements is closer to your view? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2011
2012
Traditional values me a lot to me, and ought to be preserved for generations to come.
83%
65%
Traditional values are out-dated and belong in the past. I am keen to embrace modern values and beliefs.
17%
35%

Which country in the world would you most like your country to be like? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

United Arab Emirates
40%
Turkey
28%
Saudi Arabia
18%
Qatar
16%

Which country in the world would you like to live in? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

United Arab Emirates
33%
France
17%
United States
16%
Turkey
16%
Saudi Arabia
14%

As your country develops, which country's model of growth and development would you like your country to follow? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

United Arab Emirates
27%
United States
19%
China
19%
France
17%
Germany
17%
Turkey
16%
United Kingdom
12%

How favorable are you to the following countries? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2010
2011
2012
France
30%
39%
46%
Germany
29%
34%
44%
China
28%
27%
41%
United Kingdom
23%
43%
34%
United States
29%
41%
31%
India
20%
25%
28%

How often do you update yourself on news and current affairs? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2010
2011
2012
Daily
33%
18%
52%

Where do you get your news? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2010
2011
2012
television
76%
79%
62%
online
47%
42%
51%
newspapers
65%
62%
32%
friends and family
31%
15%
14%
radio
41%
29%
10%
magazines
25%
17%
6%

In your opinion, what is the most trusted source of news? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2010
2011
2012
TV news channels
52%
60%
49%
Newspapers
26%
19%
18%
Websites
9%
11%
18%
Social Media*
n/a
n/a
9%
Radio shows
4%
1%
3%
Magazines
3%
1%
2%

* response added in 2012

How often do you generally use the internet? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

2010
2011
2012
56%
80%
82%

What do you do when you are online? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

 
2010
2011
2012
reading/writing blogs
12%
29%
61%
listen to music
58%
66%
58%
social networking (Facebook, Friendster, etc.)
32%
62%
56%
e-mail
60%
43%
47%
download music
36%
41%
37%
online gaming
30%
34%
33%
read news
28%
24%
28%
watching movies/video clips
28%
25%
25%
upload videos/photos/music
29%
22%
24%
search for information - personal
27%
23%
19%
dating and meeting new friends
15%
20%
18%
Twitter
5%
8%
16%
search for information - school related
14%
12%
16%
read about sports
18%
22%
14%
search for information - brand/product related
11%
8%
10%

Of those who blog:

What do you do on blogs? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

I read blogs
48%
I post on a blog
39%
I have my own blog
15%
I comment on other people's blogs
6%

What kind of blogs do you read? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

Fashion
53%
News and current affairs
45%
Technology
30%
Celebrity news
31%
Health and nutrition
24%
Cookery
20%
Politics
18%

Where do the blogs that you read come from? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

My country
90%
The Middle East
58%
The West
24%

Of those who use Facebook:

Thinking about social networking, which of the following applies to you? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

I have my own Facebook account that I actively update
62%
I have a Facebook account but don't tend to post or upload
22%
I don't have a Facebook account
11%

Who are the types of people that you are friends with on Facebook? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

Friends
92%
Celebrities
26%
Social
13%
Politicians
8%
Journalists
7%
Business leaders
6%
Religious leaders
5%
Political activists
4%

Where do the people you are friends with come from? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

My country
94%
The Middle East
50%
The West
19%

Of those who use Twitter:

Thinking about Twitter, which of the following applies to you? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

I will respond to other people's Tweets
49%
I actively post Tweets
39%
I follow but do not post
15%

Who are the types of people that you are friends with on Facebook? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

Friends
86%
Celebrities
45%
Journalists
21%
Religious leaders
12%
Business leaders
12%
Social comentators
9%
Politicians
9%

Where do the people you follow on Twitter come from? (Arab Youth Survey, May 2012)

My country
92%
The Middle East
67%
The West
13%