JMCC Public Opinion Poll No. 1

On Palestinian Attitudes to the Peace Process

and the Palestinian Expellees

February 1993

Methodology

A random sample of 1,190 Palestinians, over the age of 17 years, were interviewed throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip on 18/19/20 February 1993. The interviews were conducted on a face-to-face basis with people who visited general service offices to fill out application forms for their identity cards, travel documents, birth registrations, etc, in the main towns. The interviewers reported that some people filled out their questionnaire by themselves in the presence of the interviewer.

In the West Bank, approximately 690 questionnaires were allocated to each of the following major towns: Jenin, Tulkarem, Qalqilia, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Jericho. In the Gaza Strip, 500 questionnaired were divided between: Gaza, Khan Younis and Rafah areas.

Of the 1,400 questionnaires, we received back 1,190 completed questionnaires. A few were discounted, either because the respondent was under 17 years of age or because the answers were not clear.

Sample Distribution
Occupation respondents
  • Students 15.4%
  • Waged labourers 15.3%
  • Housewives 4.7%
  • Office employees/teachers/accountants 24.1%
  • Merchants 14.5%
  • Farmers 2.1%
  • Craftsmen 5.7%
  • Doctors/lawyers/pharmacists/engineers 6.9%
  • Unemployed 8.3%
  • Others 3.0%


    • Results

    Q.1 Do you think that the Palestinian delegation should not return to the negotiations until the issue of the expellees is solved?
     
    Total 
    Yes 
    83.7% 
    No
    14.0%
    No opinion /other 
    2.2%

    Q.2 Do you think that the Palstinian delegation should return to the negotiations after the expellee problem has been adequately solved?
     
    Total 
    Yes
    60.6%
    No
    34.4%
    No opinion/other 
    4.0%

    Q.3 Do you think that the Palestinian delegation should not return to the negotiations even after a solution to the expellees problem?
     
    Total 
    Yes 
    32.2%
    No 
    63.7%
    No opinion/ other 
    4.0%

    Q. 4 Do you think that the United States can play the role of mediator in the negotiations given its stand on the expellees problem?
     
    Total 
    Yes 
    40.8%
    No
    53.3%
    No opinion/ other 
    5.9%

    Q.5 If an acceptable solution to the expellees problem is found, do you think that negotiations are an appropriate method to solve Palestinian problem?
     
    Total 
    Negotiations will never yield any good results for the Palestinians
    31.9%
    The negotiations are an appropriated method for solving the Palestinian problem 
    13.7%
    The negotiations will yield results but not sufficient ones 
    50.7%
    Other, please specify
    3.7%

    Q.6 Who do you think represents the Palestinian People?
     
    Total 
    The PLO
    58.1%
    The Islamic movements 
    12.4%
    True representation can only be achieved through direct elections 
    26.1%
    Other, please specify 3.4%

    Q. 7 The attitude of Palestinians in the West Bank & Gaza Strip to the question of who they think represents the Palestinian people?
     
    Total 
    West Bank 
    Gaza Strip 
    PLO
    676
    (394) 56.0%
    (282) 66.0%
    Islamic movement
    144
    (74) 10.5%
    (70) 16.6%
    Direct elections
    303
    (234) 33.0%
    (69) 16.0%
    Total
    1123
    737
    426

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