This House believes that Gulf Arabs value profit over people
Monday November 17 2008
MOTION PASSED
by 75% to 25%
Opinion poll
GULF ARABS TOLD NOT TO HELP OUT STRUGGLING ECONOMIES
Doha, Qatar November 30, 2008: Rich Gulf Arabs should not be propping up the world’s struggling economies nor the World Bank or IMF (International Monetary Fund), according to a recent poll in the Middle East commissioned by The Doha Debates.
Almost 70 percent of Arabs also labelled the distribution of wealth in the Gulf “unfair” and 55 per cent were critical of the way their government spends money.
The survey supported the results of a Doha Debate, held on November 17, where 75 percent of the audience decided that Gulf Arabs value profit over people.
The majority of respondents cited the treatment and pay of foreign workers as the main reason for believing that Gulf Arabs value profit over people. A third said Saudi Arabia was the biggest offender of workers’ rights, followed by Kuwait.
The poll, conducted by YouGovSiraj between November 18 and 24, was completed by 1119 respondents from an online panel of 149,000 people in the Gulf, North Africa, Levant and Iraq.
The Doha Debates are broadcast eight times a year on BBC World News and focus on controversial issues in Arab and Islamic countries.
Polling dates: 18-24 November, 2008
Download the polling data [PDF]
Watch online
