Palestinian Public Opinion Poll - Living Conditions/National Dialogue and the Referendum/ Evaluation of Institutions
By Birzeit University
June 07, 2006
1. The Referendum: (Yes) to the Referendum
- 77% support President Abbas’s call to hold a referendum if political parties
do not come to agreement based on the (Prisoners Declaration); 21% do not
support such a call.
- 77% will vote (YES) to the (Prisoners’ Declaration), while 14% will vote (NO).
- 81% support Abbas’s call to adopt the (Prisoners’ Declaration) as the basis for
dialogue and Palestinian future vision.
- 74% support the view that the PLO is the sole and legitimate representative
of the Palestinians.
- 83% support that Hamas and Islamic Jihad join the PLO.
- 84% support the establishment of the Palestinian state over the 1967 territory
of the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.
- 83% support that (resistance) be restricted in the Occupied Territories.
- 94% support a commitment to a democratic political system and regular
elections.
2. Political Support: Decline in support for Hamas; Fateh does not gain
- Willingness to vote for Hamas declined from 50% (5 April 2006) to 37% now,
bringing its vote to an equal standing with Fateh (also at 37%).
- General support for Hamas is, however, at 33%, while support for Fateh
is at 36%.(Comment: need to explain the difference between willingness to
vote for a party and ‘general support’ for it?)
- 25% consider themselves as independents, over 2% support PFLP,
while all other parties score 1% or less each.
3. Use of Mosques as Political Platforms: No to using mosques as political platforms
- 68% oppose the use of mosques as a platform for agenda promotion by the
Palestinian Prime Minister, other ministers and political groups; 28% support such action.
- 41% believe that mosques are used (always or sometimes) to instigate against some
Palestinian leaders, while 51% disagree.
- 58% feel that preachers in mosques have a positive role in confronting the
current Palestinian crises, while 32% disagree.
4. The Role of Media: More doubt than support
- 43% believe that the media (Arab satellite stations and local media) play a positive
role in confronting the current crises, while 49% find them to have a negative effect.
- 50% feel that some media outlets instigate against some Palestinian leaders,
while 41% feel otherwise.
5. Evaluation of President and Government: support for leaders; but
split over government
- 48% evaluate the performance of President M. Abbas as (good) – a 5 points increase
from (29 April 2006) poll. In addition, 26% feel it is (medium), while 23% evaluate his
performance as (weak).
- 57% evaluate the performance of Prime Minster I. Hanneyeh as (good), with no
change from previous poll. In addition, 20% feel it is (medium), while 16% evaluate his
performance as (weak).
- 31% evaluate the overall performance of
the current government as (good). In addition, 30% evaluate it as
(medium), while 36% evaluate its performance as (weak) – indicating
a 9 point increase in negative evaluation from previous poll.
- 54% believe that the current government distributes the money that it
collects through donations in an (unfair) manner, while 31%
disagree.
- 21% support the continuation of the present Hamas – led
government, while 64% would like to replace it with a national
unity government. Support for a technocratic government is at 12%.
- 62% feel that the current government is (serious) about its
intentions to resolve the current crises, while 32% feel that the
government is not serious.
- 42% feel that the current government is capable of resolving the current crises,
while 48% feel otherwise.
6. Funding: Split over government’s handling of funding; but no
concessions for money by Hamas
- 26% believe that the government is handling the funding crisis in an
appropriate manner. In addition 32% believe that its handling of the crises is
(medium), while 34% believe that it is (inappropriate).
- While continued polling show a majority support for a two-state solution,
the majority of respondents (61%) will not accept that Hamas recognize Israel now
in exchange for funding. In contrast, 31% want Hamas to recognize
Israel immediately to continue receiving international funding as
in the past.
- Only 19% support that money is channeled through the President’s office,
and 26% support that an international organization (such as the World Bank)
take charge of the disbursement of funding. In contrast, 49% believe that
international funding should go directly to the Ministry of Finance
without any intermediary.
7. Responsibility for the Crises: everyone is to blame; some more
than others
- 95% say that Israel and the United States have a primary role in the
exacerbation of the current crises. · 76% say that the European Union
has a primary role in the exacerbation of the current crises.
- 59% say that Arab countries have a primary role in the exacerbation
of the current crises.
- 33% blame Fateh and Hamas for having a primary role in the exacerbation
of the current crises. In contrast, 20% say that Hamas has a moderate role
in the crises, while 30% say that Fateh has a moderate role in the
crises. In addition, 47% feel that Hamas didn’t contribute to the
crises, while 37% say that Fateh didn’t contribute to the crises.
8. Dealing with the Crises: No delivery from anyone!
- 26% feel that the handling of the current crises by the Ministerial cabinet
is (good), while 23% feel that it is (medium) and 43% feel that it
is (weak).
- 23% feel that the handling of the current crises by
the Presidential office is (good), while 24% feel that it is
(medium) and 46% feel that it is (weak).
- 21% feel that the handling of the current crises by the Palestinian Legislative
Council is (good), while 21% feel that it is (medium) and 46% feel
that it is (weak).
- 15% feel that the handling of the current crises by the NGOs is (good),
while 26% feel that it is (medium) and 41% feel that it is (weak).
- 14% feel that the handling of the current crises by the private sector and banks
is (good), while 24% feel that it is (medium) and 46% feel that it is (weak).
- 13% feel that the handling of the current crises by the political parties is
(good), while 21% feel that it is (medium) and 54% feel that it is
(weak).
- 11% feel that the handling of the current crises by international institutions
is (good), while 17% feel that it is (medium) and 58% feel that it is (weak).
9. The (Security Force): Conditional Support
- 49% support the decision by the Minister of Interior to establish a new
(security force); while opposition is at 39%.
- Palestinians are equally split on the issue of establishing a similar force in
the West Bank (at 45% on each side).
- Support for the Minister’s decision to establish such a force declines to
35% if it was not agreed upon by President M. Abbas. Opposition to the
establishment of the new force reaches 55% if not supported by President Abbas.
10. Evaluation of Living Conditions and Prospects for Future:
Less security; more economic hardship
- 41% of the respondents feel less secure than they did before the elections of the
new PLC and the establishment of the new government. In contrast, 14% feel more
secure, and 46% say that nothing has changed.
- Overall, 31% feel secure for themselves and their families, while 24% feel (somewhat
secure), and 46% feel (insecure).
- 63% say that their household’s income level had declined since the latest
PLC elections, while less than 2% say that their income has increased.
35% say that their income level didn’t change.
- Overall, 16% describe the income level of their families as (good or very good),
36% describe it as (medium). In contrast, 48% describe the economic conditions
of their families as (bad or very bad).
- 64% believe that their families are going through a financial crisis.
In addition, 23% believe that their families are going through a financial crisis
(to some extent). Only 13% said that they don’t believe that their
families are going through such a crisis.
- 36% say that their families are not able to afford medical services,
31% say that they are unable to afford educational expenses, and 33%
cannot afford transportation and communication expenses.
- 11% cannot afford food expenses, and 9.5% cannot afford rent-related expenses.
- 17% say that their families have no working breadwinner, while 45% say that
they have a breadwinner who works only occasionally. Only 39% have
a breadwinner with a stable job.
- Despite all of the previous indicators, 47% continue to say they feel
(optimistic) about the future, and 20% say that they are (somewhat optimistic).
In contrast, 32% say that they are pessimistic.
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