World of Opinion Center participated in the 71st Annual Conference of the World Association for Public Opinion Researchs (WAPOR), held in Marrakesh, Morocco. The general supervisor of the center, Dr. Samir Abu Rumman, delivered a keynote lecture titled “Polling Environment in the Arab Countries” to more than 150 participants from dozens of countries. He discussed the state of public opinion polling in Arab countries from various perspectives and presented proposals on how to create an effective Arab environment for public opinion measurement. He also suggested a global index using a ten-point scale to assess the strength and effectiveness of the public opinion polling environment.
Abu Rumman highlighted several indicators of the strength and effectiveness of the public opinion polling environment, including the freedom to choose topics for measuring opinions on various aspects of life in these countries, such as surveys on foreign and domestic policy, defense, armed conflicts within the country or region, presidents or political leadership, elections, as well as religious or ethnic matters, personal issues (health/psychological problems), and topics related to values or lifestyle.
He also considered the increase in the number and diversity of polling companies, centers, and organizations specializing in this field, and their spread at the national and regional levels as key features of effective polling environments. This allows the public to compare results and identify the most accurate ones, especially in election opinion polls.
Dr. Abu Rumman urged the public, media, and policymakers in Arab countries to engage with, respond to, and trust opinion polls while adhering to quality standards. He explained that developing this tool and using it as an effective instrument requires professional writers in the field of opinion polling to analyze results and write periodic articles, as well as utilizing public opinion poll results to serve public issues and events through the media.
An effective polling environment also benefits from modern technological and statistical advancements, developing sophisticated programs in various aspects related to execution tools, professionally presenting results on various media platforms, and having databases for opinion polls. Recently, a survey database was established in Jordan, called the Knowledge Base Survey, which collects nearly twenty thousand questions and opinion poll reports from 17 Arab countries.
Finally, creativity in establishing new indicators and measures for Arab public opinion, especially after the Arab Spring, such as the political awareness index in these countries, is another manifestation of an effective environment for measuring opinion.
In each of the manifestations of the strength and effectiveness of the public opinion polling environment, the lecturer presented his perspective on their application in the Arab world, noting that many of these standards are still below the midpoint and require concerted efforts to improve the Arab environment in the field of opinion measurement.
Dr. Abu Rumman also presented a lecture within the conference sessions titled “Jerusalem in American Public Opinion Polls…before Trump and After.” He reviewed some results of American opinion polls on Jerusalem and how they were addressed, covering topics such as “the party controlling the city,” the construction of Israeli settlements there, recognition of it as Israel’s capital, and the relocation of the U.S. embassy. The lecturer explained that despite the scarcity of opinion polls on Jerusalem, the results show a division among Americans over recognizing it as Israel’s capital, with a majority opposing the embassy’s relocation.
The lecturer explained that despite the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem, President Trump will not have an influence on the opinion of the majority of Americans, which is known as “the president’s influence,” even if the transfer of the embassy becomes a reality.
This conference is considered one of the largest specialized conferences that brings together opinion researchers and pollsters from academics and practitioners around the world. It is held for the first time in an Arab country, with the attendance of more than 200 participants from dozens of nationalities, and with the participation of Jordan through the Opinion World Center for Opinion Polls.
