Arab countries 'headed in wrong direction,' new poll says

Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A majority of Arab citizens believe their countries are "headed in the wrong direction," with most blaming diplomatic relations with Israel, according to a recent poll out of Washington, D.C.

Arab Center Washington DC released its 2022 Arab Opinion Index on Tuesday, the eighth in a series of public opinion surveys to gauge public sentiment on quality of life, U.S. foreign policy, politics, normalization with Israel, religion and the war in Ukraine.

The research center, which provides policy analysis and educational exchange, found that 52% of Arab citizens believe that their countries are headed in the wrong direction, with 40% of those blaming the economy.

An overwhelming 84% of Arabs also disapproved of their countries establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and 76% agreed that the Palestinian cause concerns all Arabs.

"It is striking to see the large gap between Arab public opinion and Arab public policy on many subjects included in the survey," Khalil Jahshan, executive director of Arab Center Washington DC, said in a statement.

While only 38% support military rule, 71% of Arabs said they believe democracy is the best system to govern their countries.

"Over the years we've conducted this survey in the Arab world, we see quite a bit of support for democracy as a system of governance because it implies accountability and protection from government overreach," Dana El Kurd, a non-resident fellow at Arab Center Washington DC, said in a statement.

The 2022 Arab Opinion Index was based on face-to-face interviews with 33,300 people in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, occupied Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tunisia between June and December of 2022.

The AOI, which was launched by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in 2011 to gauge public opinion on political, social and cultural issues, also found that 44% of Arabs believe that Russia's aggression in its war in Ukraine is "unjustified."

When presented with a list of countries, 84% of Arab respondents said Israel poses the greatest threat to the security and stability of the region. The next largest number, 78%, said the United States is also a threat.