Arab Public Opinion – Ignore it at your Peril

In a world of autocracy, repression and conflict, polls often offer ordinary citizens a rare opportunity to express an opinion. Independent pollsters operating in cooperation with local polling companies have gathered more than a decade of data that provides crucial insight into public opinion often not reflected in much of the Middle East’s print and broadcast media. Polling data has, over time, been supplemented by insights gained from the monitoring of social media. The polling lifts the veil on public sentiment towards issues such as Israel, the Palestinians and Iran as well as hot button items, including religion, protest and political Islam. The data demonstrates that failure to understand public sentiment and/or take it into account produces misinformed and misguided policies not only by rulers in the region but also governments like that of the United States. This webinar brings together pollsters and social media monitors to provide insights into trends in public opinion in the Middle East as well as how they operate in a restricted environment.