85 per cent of Arabs hold negative views of Islamic State

A new survey conducted by the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies at the Doha Institute shows that 85 per cent of Arabs polled hold negative views of the Islamic State (ISIS).

The survey results also suggest that while the majority of Arabs, 59 per cent, support the aims of the international military campaign against ISIS, only 22 per cent of the respondents expressed “unqualified confidence in the ability of the US-led coalition to fulfil its mission”.

According to As-Sabeel newspaper, the survey is considered to be the first of its kind regarding ISIS and took a wide-ranging look at the phenomenon.

The results were announced at a press conference held in Doha.

The survey was conducted through telephone interviews with 5,100 respondents in seven Arab countries, Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as in Syrian refugee camps located in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

Only 11 per cent of respondents said that they hold positive or relatively positive views towards ISIS.