Arab/Muslim Public Opinion Polls: Opinion of the United States
Favorable attitudes towards the United States: (Arab American Institute Foundation)
2008 | 2009 | 2011 | |
| Morocco | 26% | 55% | 12% |
| Egypt | 9% | 30% | 5% |
| Lebanon | 21% | 23% | 23% |
| Jordan | 16% | 25% | 10% |
| Saudi Arabia | 13% | 41% | 30% |
| UAE | 22% | 21% | 12% |
Please tell us if you agree or disagree with the following statement: "The United States contributes to peace and stability in the Arab world." (Arab American Institute Foundation, June 2011)
Agree | Disagree | |
| Morocco | 11% | 87% |
| Egypt | 10% | 89% |
| Lebanon | 16% | 84% |
| Jordan | 5% | 95% |
| Saudi Arabia | 24% | 71% |
| UAE | 8% | 87% |
If you had to choose one thing from the list below, which is the greatest obstacle to peace and stability in the Middle East? (Arab American Institute Foundation, June 2011)
Morocco | Egypt | Lebanon | Jordan | Saudi Arabia | UAE | |
Continuing occupation of Palestinian lands | 36% | 37% | 5% | 49% | 26% | 6% |
U.S. interference in the Arab world | 31% | 31% | 50% | 37% | 26% | 45% |
Lack of democracy in Arab countries | 23% | 19% | 33% | 3% | 20% | 22% |
Economic inequality | 9% | 7% | 11% | 4% | 2% | 15% |
Iran's interference in Arab affairs | 2% | 7% | 2% | 10% | 26% | 13% |
Please tell us how U.S. President Barack Obama's handling of each of the following issues has contributed to U.S. Arab relations... (Arab American Institute Foundation, June 2011)
Handling the Palestinian issue:
Morocco Egypt Lebanon Jordan Saudi Arabia UAE Efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program:
Morocco Egypt Lebanon Jordan Saudi Arabia UAE Engagement with the Muslim world:
Morocco Egypt Lebanon Jordan Saudi Arabia UAE
Does the killing of Osama bin Laden make you more or less favorable towards the United States, or does it have no impact on your attitude toward the U.S.? (Arab American Institute Foundation, June 2011)
Favorable | Unfavorable | No Impact | |
| Morocco | 2% | 55% | 42% |
| Egypt | 2% | 62% | 34% |
| Lebanon | 7% | 58% | 35% |
| Jordan | 2% | 52% | 46% |
| Saudi Arabia | 1% | 53% | 46% |
| UAE | 39% | 50% | 11% |
U.S. favorability rating: (Pew)
1999/2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Indonesia | 75% | 61% | 15% | 38% | 30% | 29% | 37% | 63% | 59% | 54% |
| Lebanon | - | 36% | 27% | 42% | - | 47% | 51% | 55% | 52% | 49% |
| Egypt | - | - | - | - | 30% | 21% | 22% | 27% | 17% | 20% |
| Palestinian Terr. | - | - | 0% | - | - | 13% | - | 15% | - | 18% |
| Jordan | - | 25% | 1% | 21% | 15% | 20% | 19% | 25% | 21% | 13% |
| Pakistan | 23% | 10% | 13% | 23% | 27% | 15% | 19% | 16% | 17% | 11% |
| Turkey | 52% | 30% | 15% | 23% | 12% | 9% | 12% | 14% | 17% | 10% |
Do you worry that the United States could become a military threat to your country someday? (Pew)
%Very/Somewhat worried
2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Palestinian Terr. | - | - | 73% | 75% | - | 91% |
| Indonesia | 74% | 80% | 84% | 77% | 76% | 71% |
| Pakistan | 72% | 71% | 72% | 79% | 65% | 67% |
| Turkey | 71% | 65% | 76% | 54% | 56% | 59% |
| Lebanon | 58% | 60% | 57% | 57% | 56% | 59% |
| Egypt | - | - | 64% | 51% | 56% | 54% |
| Jordan | 56% | 67% | 67% | 48% | 52% | 46% |
How much confidence do you have in U.S. President Barack Obama? (Pew, May 2011)
Not too much/No confidence | A lot/Some confidence | |
| Indonesia | 35% | 62% |
| Lebanon | 57% | 43% |
| Egypt | 64% | 35% |
| Jordan | 68% | 28% |
| Palestinian Terr. | 84% | 14% |
| Turkey | 73% | 12% |
| Pakistan | 65% | 10% |
Do approve or disapprove of U.S. President Barack Obama's handling of each of the following issues? (Pew, May 2011)
Calls for political change in the Middle East:
Approve | Disapprove | |
| Turkey | 8% | 65% |
| Egypt | 45% | 52% |
| Jordan | 31% | 65% |
| Lebanon | 41% | 52% |
| Palestinian Terr. | 33% | 63% |
| Indonesia | 30% | 49% |
| Pakistan | 5% | 40% |
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
Approve | Disapprove | |
| Turkey | 6% | 68% |
| Egypt | 15% | 82% |
| Jordan | 17% | 82% |
| Lebanon | 12% | 85% |
| Palestinian Terr. | 13% | 84% |
| Indonesia | 26% | 57% |
| Pakistan | 6% | 45% |
Iran:
Approve | Disapprove | |
| Turkey | 5% | 68% |
| Egypt | 27% | 68% |
| Jordan | 21% | 77% |
| Lebanon | 40% | 55% |
| Palestinian Terr. | 16% | 80% |
| Indonesia | 23% | 56% |
| Pakistan | 10% | 50% |
Do you believe your country's government cooperates too much, not enough or about the right amount with the United States? (Pew, May 2011)
Too much | Not enough | About the right amount | Don't know | |
| Jordan | 57% | 16% | 22% | 6% |
| Lebanon | 54% | 18% | 25% | 3% |
| Pakistan | 54% | 13% | 10% | 23% |
| Egypt | 39% | 24% | 31% | 6% |
| Turkey | 26% | 26% | 32% | 15% |
| Indonesia | 19% | 18% | 54% | 9% |
Generally speaking, is your attitude toward the United States... (Brookings)
2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Very favorable | 4% | 3% | 2% |
| Somewhat favorable | 11% | 15% | 10% |
| Somewhat unfavorable | 19% | 31% | 38% |
| Very unfavorable | 64% | 46% | 47% |
What TWO steps by the United States would improve your views of the United States the most? (Brookings)
2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Israel-Palestine peace agreement | 50% | 41% | 54% |
| Withdrawal from Iraq | 44% | 51% | 45% |
| Stopping aid to Israel | 28% | 29% | 43% |
| Withdrawal from Arabian Peninsula | 46% | 50% | 35% |
| Pushing more to spread democracy | 13% | 7% | 13% |
| More economic aid to the region | 13% | 6% | 7% |
| Stopping aid to Arab governments | 3% | 2% | 2% |
Which TWO of the following factors do you believe are most important in driving American policy in the Middle East? (Brookings)
2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Protecting Israel | 47% | 52% | 49% |
| Controlling oil | 50% | 43% | 45% |
| Weakening the Muslim world | 33% | 38% | 33% |
| Preserving regional and global dominance | 30% | 24% | 33% |
| Preventing spread of nuclear weapons | 12% | 12% | 13% |
| Promoting peace and stability | 6% | 7% | 9% |
| Fighting terrorism | 7% | 4% | 7% |
| Spreading human rights | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Promoting democracy | 4% | 5% | 5% |
How would you describe your attitudes toward the Obama Administration policy in the Middle East? (Brookings)
2009 | 2010 | |
| Hopeful | 51% | 16% |
| Neither hopeful nor discouraged | 28% | 20% |
| Discouraged | 15% | 63% |
When you look back at the past year of the Obama Administration, which one of the following policies are you most DISAPPOINTED with? (Brookings, 2010)
| Palestine/Israel | 61% |
| Iraq | 27% |
| Attitudes toward Islam | 5% |
| Afghanistan | 4% |
| Human rights | 1% |
| Spreading democracy | 1% |
| Economic assistance | 1% |
When you look back at the past year of the Obama Administration, which one of the following policies are you most PLEASED with? (Brookings, 2010)
| Palestine/Israel | 1% |
| Iraq | 3% |
| Attitudes toward Islam | 20% |
| Afghanistan | 1% |
| Human rights | 8% |
| Spreading democracy | 5% |
| Economic assistance | 13% |
Which of the following is closest to your views in describing U.S. President Barack Obama? (Brookings, 2010)
| Unfavorable view of him and I am pessimistic about his foreign policy | 51% |
Favorable personal view of him, but I don't thin the American system will allow him to have a successful foreign policy | 38% |
| Favorable personal view of him and I am hopeful about his foreign policy | 5% |
Do you approve or disapprove of the job performance of the leadership of the United States? (Gallup)
Tunisia
June 2008 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 14% | 37% |
| Disapprove | 86% | 49% |
| Don't know/Refused | - | 15% |
Saudi Arabia
May 2008 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 12% | 29% |
| Disapprove | 81% | 52% |
| Don't know/Refused | 6% | 19% |
Syria
August 2008 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 4% | 15% |
| Disapprove | 91% | 71% |
| Don't know/Refused | 5% | 14% |
Yemen
January 2009 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 11% | 14% |
| Disapprove | 85% | 72% |
| Don't know/Refused | 4% | 14% |
Lebanon
May 2008 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 25% | 22% |
| Disapprove | 70% | 60% |
| Don't know/Refused | 5% | 18% |
Palestinian Territories
August 2008 | February 2009 | |
| Approve | 13% | 7% |
| Disapprove | 81% | 80% |
| Don't know/Refused | 6% | 12% |
Egypt
May 2008 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 6% | 25% |
Algeria
June 2008 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 25% | 47% |
Qatar
January 2009 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 8% | 22% |
Kuwait
August 2006 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 20% | 33% |
Mauritania
July 2008 | March 2009 | |
| Approve | 44% | 56% |
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