The results of the 2016 Arab Opinion Index, the fifth in an annual series of region-wide public opinion polls, will be announced at a special press conference on Monday, March 13, 2017 at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Qatar. The press conference, which opens at 10:30 AM on Monday, will be hosted by the Public Opinion Unit within the ACRPS and will cover some of the major findings of the latest poll. This year’s findings will have particular relevance for students of democratization, and those interested in the impact of the Arab Spring in public life across the region.

In this year’s survey, 18,310 respondents, divided into representative samples in 12 countries, were interviewed. Its scale, in terms of number of respondents and the questions asked marks it out as unique. Fieldwork was carried out between September 10 and December 30, 2016 by a team of 840 individuals, one half of whom were women. Questions within the survey ask respondents to consider a number of social and political issues, and reflect on their own financial circumstances. Specifically, the questionnaire addressed public confidence in Arab governments; attitudes to religion and the role of religion in the public sphere; the general political and economic circumstances of the 12 Arab countries in which the survey was conducted; and Arab public attitudes to the foreign relations of their home countries.

Journalists wishing to cover the full Arabic language press conference on Monday morning, or the smaller English roundtable later on the same day, should apply by email to: arab.index@dohainstitute.org