JMCC - Poll No. 77, Nov. 2012 - Governance, the UN Bid and the Arab Spring

This menu features recently updated backgrounders on people, places and subjects. To view all backgrounders, click More...

Text

last updated Nov. 14, 2012
published Nov. 13, 2012

Poll No. 77, Nov. 2012 - Governance, the UN Bid and the Arab Spring

Summary: A public opinion poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre (JMCC) showed that there was in increase among those who believe it is necessary to dissolve the PNA from 22.2% in November 2011 to 27.8% November 2012. This is in spite of the fact that the majority (65.0%) still believe in the necessity of the PNA’s perpetuation and maintenance.

The poll, which the JMCC conducted at the beginning of November and which included a sample of 1,200 people, showed that the majority (58.3%) of respondents feel an exit to the existing political crisis is possible through holding legislative and presidential elections, compared to 32.3% who said cancelling signed agreements with Israel is the best option for exiting the crisis.

Furthermore, the poll indicated to an increase in the percentage of supporters of a bi-national state from 22.3% November 2011 to 27.5% November 2012, even though supporters of the two-state solution hardly changed, remaining at 51.2%. The poll also showed that the majority of respondents 48.0% said the leadership heading to the United Nations would benefit the Palestinian cause while 35.6% said it would neither be to the benefit nor to the detriment of the cause; 12.2% said it would be to its detriment.

Setback in performance
The poll also showed an overall setback in the public’s evaluation of the performance of the PNA and its leaders. There was a retreat in the percentage of those who find the PNA’s performance as good or very good from 67.6% November 2011 to 54.9% November 2012.

There was also a setback in the percentage of those satisfied with the way in which President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) performs his job as the President of the PNA from 55.5% November 2011 to 49.2% November 2012. There was also a setback in the evaluation of the performance of Salam Fayyad’s government from 42.9% in April, 2010 to 29.6% November 2012.

Furthermore, the poll showed that a slight majority of respondents who were dissatisfied with the way the PNA handled the recent economic crisis with 52.2% saying it was bad or very bad while 45.4% said the way in which the PNA handled the crisis was good or very good.

Pessimism regarding reconciliation
In terms of the reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah, the percentage of those who expect reconciliation to be reached in 2013 decreased from 40.2% in May to 35.9% November 2012.

In spite of this pessimism, the percentage of those who favor holding elections increased, but only if reconciliation is complete, from 51.3% in May to 60.8% in November 2012 whereby the percentage of those who favor holding elections under any circumstances decreased from 42.7% in May to 34.8% this November 2012.

The Arab Spring and the Palestinian cause
The JMCC poll showed that the public was divided over the impact of current events in the Arab world on the Palestinian cause, whereby 35.8% said they had a positive impact while 34.0% said they had a negative impact on the Palestinian cause.

Likewise, the public was divided over the impact of the Muslim Brotherhood’s assumption of power in Egypt on the Palestinian cause where 44.8% said it had a positive impact while 42.2% said it had a negative impact. However, the poll showed a discrepancy between the West Bank and Gaza Strip whereby the majority of those polled in Gaza 52.2% said the impact of the Muslim Brotherhood’s assumption of power in Egypt had a positive impact on the Palestinian cause compared to 40.4% in the West Bank.

Download English File
Size: 345 KB
Download Arabic File
Size: 422 KB

WHAT'S NEW

More News »

BACKGROUND

POLLS

WAYS TO GET JMCC

Staff List