An extensive study of Egyptian public opinion after the January 25 Revolution was carried out by El Hayat Television Network in collaboration with the TNS Global Market Research. The survey was released under the title, ‘Egypt 100 days without Mubarak – how do Egyptian perceive the government, the revolution and the future?' Mohamed Ahmed, regional director of TNS and supervisor of the study, discussed the results of the study on El Hayat el Youm (Life Today) on Tuesday night. He said the study was conducted in many Egyptian governorates including Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Suez, Mansoura, Minya, and Gharbeya, and represents a random sample from all segments of Egyptian society. The following are the results of the survey: General condition of the Egyptians: 43% satisfied 41% are dissatisfied Optimism about the future of Egypt: 76% optimistic 13% pessimistic 11% not interested Reasons for optimism: getting rid of corruption, a better future for Egypt, freedom of expression, and ability to prosecute corruption. Reasons for pessimism: lack of security, unstable conditions, increase in the number of outlaws, and high prices. Egyptians' greatest concerns: high prices, unemployment, security, wages, poverty, and education. Is Egypt moving in the right direction? 73% Yes 5% No 18% Not sure Egypt's stability: 54% Egypt is unstable 29% Egypt is stable 17% Not sure Egypt's position before and after the revolution of January 25: Economic conditions: 70% Negative before the revolution 60% Positive after the revolution Democracy: 84% Negative before the revolution 85% Positive after the revolution Support the revolution: 95% Support the revolution 3% Do not support the revolution 2% Neutral Reasons for supporting the revolution: Trial of the former government, improving the performance of the state and freedom of expression. Reasons for opposition to the revolution: The prevalence of thuggery, increased fear and high prices. Has the Revolution achieved its objectives? 61% Yes 16% No 22% Not sure The impact of revolution Jan 25 your daily life: 85% Positive 15% Negative Relationship between Muslims and Christians: 59% Strong 20% Moderate 19% Weak Your vision of the events in Imbaba (in which 15people died during sectarian clashes): 95% Reject the events 4% Not interested 1% Approve Ways to strengthen the relationship between Muslims and Christians: Freedom of belief, equality and cooperation. Reconciling with former President Hosni Mubarak: 62% Pro-reconciliation 30% Anti-reconciliation 8% Uninterested The most important domestic issues facing Egyptian society: Fighting the high cost of living, maintaining the state and fighting unemployment. The most important foreign policy issues facing Egyptian society: Solving the Nile Basin crisis, maintaining peace with Israel and improving relations with Iran. Level of satisfaction with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (currently ruing Egypt): 86% Satisfied 7% Not interested 7% Unsatisfied Causes of satisfaction with the military: Assisting with the security, safety and protection of the state and working to fight corruption Causes of dissatisfaction with the military: Slow pace of decision-making and the slowdown in the trials of former officials Performance of the Prime Minister: 70% Satisfied 22% Neutral 8% Not satisfied Causes of satisfaction with the Prime Minister: He is a ‘real' person and works to promote foreign affairs. Causes of dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister: Lack of tangible decisions Police performance: 68% Dissatisfied 30% Satisfied 12% Unsure Causes of dissatisfaction with the police: Lack of police presence in the streets, belief they are helping to spread riots and are not doing their jobs correctly. Political participation: Will you participate in parliamentary elections? 72% Yes 28% No Knowledge of political parties: 81% New Wafd Party 69% Freedom and Justice Party (Muslim Brotherhood party) 61% al-Ghad Party Who would you choose in the parliamentary elections? 1. New Wafd Party 2. Freedom and Justice Party 3. Free Egyptians Party Will you participate in the presidential election? 87% Yes 13% No Who will you choose as president? 42% Amr Moussa 15% Essam Sharaf 12% Ahmed Shafiq 4% Hisham Bastawisi 3% Mohamed el-Baradei Where should the political transition begin in the coming period? 40% Presidential election 36% Writing a new constitution 23% Parliamentary elections The findings were analyzed by Dr. Dr. Amr Hashem Rabie, researcher in political affairs at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS); Dr. Gamal Abdel-Gawad, Director, ACPSS; a specialist in political affairs, ACPSS; Mohamed Ahmed, chairman of Egypt and North Africa company for research; and Magdy el-Gallad, editor of Al-Masry Al-Youm. The researchers said that the findings would indicate that there is greater political and cultural awareness amongst those polled.
