A new public opinion poll reveals that ISIS has almost no popular support in Egypt or Lebanon, but the United States has little more. Read the analysis: http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014 This presentation is also available in Arabic: http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014AR

1. Findings from new public opinion polls in Egypt,
Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, commissioned by the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
ARAB
PUBLIC
OPINION
& THE FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
Read the article by David Pollock:
http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014

2. ARAB
PUBLIC
OPINION
& THE FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
Read the article by David Pollock:
http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014
ISIS has almost no popular
support in Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
or Lebanon.
Considering their recent policies, do you have a very positive, fairly positive, fairly negative, or
very negative view of ISIS?
Saudi Arabia - 5% support ISIS 17% Fairly Negative
73% Very Negative
3% Don’t Know
2% Very Positive, 3% Fairly Positive 3% No Answer
Egypt - 3% support ISIS 3% Fairly Negative
82% Very Negative
5% Don’t Know
6% No Answer
Lebanon - 0% support ISIS
1% Fairly Negative
99% Very Negative
1% Very Positive, 2% Fairly Positive
1% Fairly Positive
2% Fairly Negative
97% Very Negative
Finding #1
Not even among Lebanon's Sunnis.
Findings from new public
opinion polls commissioned
by The Washington Institute

3. ARAB
PUBLIC
OPINION
& THE FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
Read the article by David Pollock:
http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014
Finding #2
But nearly uniform opposition to
ISIS does not extend to other
political Islamist groups...
Considering their recent policies, do you have a very positive, fairly positive, fairly negative, or
very negative view of ...?
28% Fairly Negative
37% Very Negative
3% Don’t Know
1% No Answer
Saudi Arabia - 52%
30% Fairly Negative
14% Very Negative
4% Don’t Know
1% No Answer
Egypt - 33%
SUPPORT HAMAS
Saudi Arabia - 31%
31% Fairly Negative
33% Very Negative
2% Don’t Know
20% Very Positive, 32% Fairly Positive
10% Very Positive, 23% Fairly Positive 1% No Answer
SUPPORT MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
28% Fairly Negative
32% Very Negative
2% Don’t Know
3% No Answer
Egypt - 35%
11% Very Positive, 24% Fairly Positive
Findings from new public
opinion polls commissioned
by The Washington Institute
10% Very Positive, 21% Fairly Positive

4. ARAB
PUBLIC
OPINION
& THE FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
Read the article by David Pollock:
http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014
Finding #2...continued
...and in Lebanon, views are
highly polarized by sect.
LEBANON
Considering their recent policies, do you have a very positive, fairly positive, fairly negative, or
very negative view of Hezbollah?
3% Fairly Negative
5% Very Negative
39% support Hezbollah
4% Fairly Negative
58% Very Negative
8% support Hezbollah
7% Fairly Negative
85% Very Negative
SHIITES
CHRISTIANS
SUNNIS
92% support Hezbollah
Findings from new public
opinion polls commissioned
by The Washington Institute
90% Very Positive, 2% Fairly Positive
31% Very Positive, 8% Fairly Positive
5% Very Positive
3% Fairly Positive

5. ARAB
PUBLIC
OPINION
& THE FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
Read the article by David Pollock:
http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014
Shared opposition to ISIS
does not mean high ratings for
the United States.
Considering their recent policies, do you have a very positive, fairly positive, fairly negative, or
very negative view of the United States?
33% Fairly Negative
52% Very Negative
2% Don’t Know
1% No Answer
25% approval in Lebanon
18% Fairly Negative
57% Very Negative
Again, varying by sect, from just 3% among Lebanon’s
plurality Shiite population to 39% among Christians:
SHIITES SUNNIS DRUZE CHRISTIANS
Finding #3
12% approval in Egypt
37% Fairly Negative
47% Very Negative
2% Don’t Know
2% No Answer
12% approval in Saudi Arabia 2% Very Positive
10% Fairly Positive
Findings from new public
opinion polls commissioned
by The Washington Institute
3% Very Positive
9% Fairly Positive
15% Very Positive, 10% Fairly Positive

6. ARAB
PUBLIC
OPINION
& THE FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
Read the article by David Pollock:
http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014
Finding #4
Nor does it predict attitudes
toward two other common
enemies of ISIS: Iran and Syria.
Considering their recent policies, do you have a very positive, fairly positive, fairly negative, or
very negative view of...?
FAVORABLE TOWARD IRAN
Saudi Arabia - 13%
Lebanon - 46%
FAVORABLE TOWARD SYRIA
Lebanon - 52%
Egypt - 13%
Sunni - 12%
Christian - 35%
By sect:
Shiite - 96%
By sect:
Sunni - 14%
Christian - 47%
Shiite - 97%
Saudi Arabia - 12%
Egypt - 14%
Findings from new public
opinion polls commissioned
by The Washington Institute

7. ARAB
PUBLIC
OPINION
& THE FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
Read the article by David Pollock:
http://bit.ly/ISISPoll-Oct2014
Implications
What do these numbers mean
for U.S. policy?
1
2
3
Findings from new public
opinion polls commissioned
by The Washington Institute
We need not fear a mass following for ISIS or strong
popular backlash against U.S. airstrikes in these
nearby Arab societies. But there is a real difference
between almost no support and no support at all.
The United States would be well-advised to target
its actions very narrowly against ISIS, not against
other Islamist groups.
Any overtures to Iran or the Syrian regime as
potential partners against ISIS run the risk of both
further alienating the Egyptian and Saudi publics
and further inflaming sectarian tension in Lebanon.

8. GENERATING DIALOGUE.
IMPACTING POLICY.
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