Tunisia Poll Released by IRI

This week, the International Republican Institute (IRI) released a public opinion poll on Tunisia and an analysis of the results.  Since former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali did not allow independent surveys, there is a lack of current information and a “high demand for current survey data to provide Tunisian civil society and government officials an important tool to understand and respond to citizen priorities.”

Similar to the results of a March IRI poll, this survey found that security and economic concerns remain the most pressing issues, with security becoming more of a priority in recent months. International security and unemployment were consistently cited as the top two problems facing Tunisia at present. The survey also found a significant decline in confidence in the transition period. But a majority remained hopeful that the economy would improve in the coming year. Enthusiasm for democracy appears quite high, with 93 percent of respondents very likely or quite likely to vote. And while 54 percent favored a secular government, 51 percent expressed support for a moderate Islamist assembly, and only 8 percent favored a strongly Islamist assembly.

Meanwhile, according to a new poll released by IBOPE Zogby International and the Arab American Institute Foundation, the U.S. has declined in favor with most Arab countries, in comparison to the last year of the Bush administration. The poll also found that President Barack Obama has failed to live up to the expectations he created in the region.