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2005: Arab Attitudes of U.S.: Good News & Bad News

Posted on Wednesday November 9, 2005

WASHINGTON – One-third of Moroccans, Jordanians, Lebanese and Arabs in the United Arab Emirates now have favorable attitudes of the United States, according to a six-nation poll conducted by Zogby International (ZI) and commissioned by the Arab American Institute (AAI) in October.

The AAI/ZI poll surveyed over 3,600 Arabs in Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Positive attitudes toward the U.S. remain low in Saudi Arabia and Egypt (Saudi Arabia 9% and Egypt 14%). But in all six countries surveyed, favorable ratings are up from 2004 and are back to the levels they were in 2002.

When the ratings given to the U.S. are compared with those given to China, Russia and India, the U.S. comes in last place, with China scoring significantly higher in most of the six Arab countries surveyed.

As in earlier polls, it is clear that the negative attitude can be attributed to American policies in the Middle East, especially the war in Iraq and the American treatment of Arabs and Muslims.

Despite a U.S. push for democracy in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, few people are supportive. In Egypt, only 4% indicated that the ‘Bush Administration’s promotion of democracy determined their attitudes toward the US,’ with most of them reporting that this effort soured their attitude toward the U.S.

In Saudi Arabia, of the 9% who were impacted by the Administration’s advocacy for democratic reform, only one-third of this group said they reacted positively to this U.S. effort. This result echoes another finding from an AAI/ZI poll in 2004 which showed that most Arabs did not want U.S. involvement in their domestic politics.