Survey in the Arab world: Israel and the US are at the top of the threats alongside support for the Palestinians

The Arab Public Opinion Index 2024-2025, published on Tuesday by the Arab Center for Research and Policy in Doha, shows that 44% of respondents in the Arab world defined Israel as the main threat to the security of the region, while 21% pointed to the United States. Iran ranked third by a considerable margin with only 6%, followed by other regional and global powers.

The findings were presented on Tuesday and are based on face-to-face interviews with 40,130 respondents in 15 Arab countries, conducted between October 2024 and August 2025. This is the ninth survey in a series launched in 2011, and is the largest of its kind in the region, with an overall margin of error of approximately 2-3 percent.

Beyond identifying specific countries, the survey found almost a consensus that the policies of Israel and the United States constitute a direct threat to regional stability. About 84% of the respondents said that Israel’s policy threatens security and stability in the Arab world, and 77% said the same about the policy of the United States. A smaller majority also saw the policies of Iran, Russia and France as a destabilizing factor.

Alongside the security concerns, the survey indicates a feeling of cautious optimism regarding the internal situation in the countries. In total, 57% of the respondents said that their countries were “going in the right direction”, compared to 37% who believed that they were going “in the wrong direction”.

However, the economic pressure remains widespread: 41% of respondents said that their household income is sufficient to cover basic needs but does not allow savings, and 28% stated that the income does not cover the necessary needs at all. Only a small minority reported the ability to save, a phenomenon that was more common in the Gulf countries and less so in the Palestine region (Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Syria) and the Nile Valley (Egypt and Sudan).

Economic distress as a source of public frustration

Assessments of the political situation varied sharply between regions: 55% of respondents in the Arab world defined the political situation in their countries as “good”, but this rate jumped to 86% in the Gulf countries and dropped to only 37% in the Mashreq region.

Trust in state institutions showed clear patterns: the highest levels of trust were recorded in the army, the security forces and the judiciary, while the executive and legislative branches lagged behind. Parliaments received the lowest level of trust, with just over half of respondents saying they trusted them.

Perceptions of corruption remain deeply rooted in the region: 84% of the respondents said that financial and administrative corruption is widespread in their countries – a rate that has hardly changed since the polls began more than a decade ago. The Mashreq region had the strongest sense of widespread corruption, while the Gulf states had the lowest.

Preference for democracy – but limited political participation

Most of the respondents knew how to define democracy in essential terms, including political freedoms, separation of powers and governmental responsibility. However, they rated the level of democracy in their countries with an average score of 6.2 out of 10, and this score dropped further when asked to rate their ability to freely criticize the government.

Formal political participation remains limited: only 6% of respondents reported membership in a political party, and about half said they did not intend to vote in the upcoming elections.

The war shapes everyday life

A severe lack of basic services was reported, with the vast majority of respondents lacking regular access to electricity, medicine, food and clean water. Most of them said that they or their family members had experienced hunger, and many reported that they had witnessed people being forced to collect alms for food or water.

In Sudan, nearly half of respondents said they had been displaced since fighting broke out in April 2023, with many reporting theft, home raids and lack of access to health and essential services.

The Palestinian issue – a collective Arab issue

When asked about the reactions of the international community to the war in Gaza, the respondents ranked South Africa as the country that took the most positive position, followed by Spain and Iran. More than 80% said that the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice for genocide strengthened their spirits.