This House believes Arab governments couldn't care less about Darfur
Wednesday January 23 2008
MOTION PASSED
by 81% to 19%
Opinion poll
Arab governments and Arab League not doing enough over Darfur
DOHA, QATAR 22nd February 2008: Seven out of 10 Arabs want their governments to do more to end the conflict in Darfur, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by The Doha Debates.
Arabs are also deeply unimpressed with the diplomacy of the Arab League, with only 14% believing that their efforts in the crisis have been successful.
The survey closely mirrors the views expressed at the last Doha Debate, recorded on January 23rd in Qatar, where the audience voted by 81% to 19% that Arab governments couldn’t care less about Darfur.
The poll, which questioned an online panel of 744 adults across the GCC, the Levant and North Africa highlighted Arab suspicions about Western motives in Darfur. A majority of those against further action in Darfur, said they were unwilling to help the West ‘control another Arab state”. Eighty-five per cent believe that the West wants to use the conflict for political leverage against ‘an independent Arab state’.
When it comes to reporting from Darfur, an overwhelming number of Arabs – 72% - see Al Jazeera as the important source of news. Four out of 10 see foreign networks such as CNN and BBC as important sources – but more than half of those surveyed questioned the accuracy of the Western media.
Alarmingly, more than 1 in 10 Arabs are still unaware that there is a conflict of any kind in Darfur.
Polling dates: 10 – 17 February 2008
Download the polling data [PDF]
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