This House believes Dubai is a bad idea
Monday December 14 2009
MOTION REJECTED
by 38% to 62%
Opinion poll
Doha, Qatar, January 10: After months of financial gloom, Arabs have given the troubled Emirate of Dubai a resounding vote of confidence, according to an opinion poll commissioned by The Doha Debates.
Nine out of 10 respondents rejected the notion that Dubai is a bad idea, reinforcing the results of the last Doha Debate in December.
But more than half believed Dubai's rulers had not been transparent about their problems and a significant minority (43 percent) thought the current crisis heralded the start of a more serious economic decline.
The poll was conducted by YouGov between 22 and 27 December and involved nearly 2,000 respondents in 17 Arab countries.
Two thirds of them supported Abu Dhabi's bailout and felt its rulers should continue to support Dubai whenever necessary. The same number felt the glitzy city-state had been unfairly treated by the international media and more than half were happy that its ruler had told his critics to "shut up".
As for the question of who had benefited most from Dubai's problems - 41 per cent believed that distinction had gone to Qatar.
Polling dates: 22 - 27 December 2009
Download the polling data [PDF]
Watch online
