Within a project to study the mental image of Jordanian movements, parties and political Islam
World of Opinion Center for Public Opinion Polls has published a report titled “Survey of Public Opinion towards the Muslim Brotherhood Group in Jordan”. This report was among the researches papers at the 76th Conference of The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR), and it is published concurrently with the conclusion of the conference that had been held in Austria during the period between September 19-22, 2023.
The survey aimed to gain insights into the Jordanians mental image of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. It also aimed to analyze the influence of demographic, social, and economic factors on this image. Furthermore, the survey aimed to determine the extent of the community’s familiarity with the group’s ideas, principles, and its view of Islam. It sought to assess the public’s evaluation of the group’s various activities and its relationships with various internal and external entities. Additionally, the survey aimed to gauge the degree to which the group represents Islamic values and to measure the public’s satisfaction with its overall performance.
The survey was conducted by a specialized team in public opinion surveys led by Dr. Samir Abu-Rumman, the General Supervisor of the World of Opinion Center and a visiting research fellow at Princeton University, the project was managed by Dr. Mohammad Al-Qudah, the Director of the Jordan office, in addition, over 30 researchers collected data through face-to-face interviews in public places across all governorates, according to a comprehensive sampling plan was followed to ensure the inclusion and representation of all segments of Jordanian society, the sample consisted of 1501 individuals from Jordan (both males and females) aged 18 and above.
It’s worth noting that the World of Opinion Center for Public Opinion Polls is a specialized center in the field of public opinion measurement with branches in Jordan, Kuwait, and the United States, it was founded in 2011 and has executed numerous public opinion survey projects in several Arab countries, for various local, Arab, and international, governmental and private institutions.
Regarding characteristics of the survey sample:
In terms of demographic characteristics, the sample was distributed to 53.9% male and 46.1% female respondents. Across various age groups, 21% were in the age group 18-24, 26% were in the age group 25-34, 24.5% were in the age group 35-44, 17.4% were in the age group 45-55, 11.1% were seniors aged above 65. The sample covered all kingdom governorates, with the highest percentage of respondents from Amman (42.5%) and Irbid (18.4%).
In terms of social and economic characteristics, 58.4% were married, 34.4% were single, divorced and widows people constituted 3.9% and 3.3% respectively. the majority were self-employed (27.5%) or had private-sector jobs (23.8%) and 15.1% were housewives. According to income level the sample was distributed into 9 segments, The highest whose income ranged between (201-400) was 40.2%, then those whose income ranges between (401-600) by 24.9%. The segment of the educational category at the high school level constituted the highest among the rest of the segments by 36%, then those with university education at the bachelor’s level by 32%. At the level of academic specializations, it was less than half of the sample slightly 47.1% belonging to the specializations of humanities colleges, then scientific colleges at 35.7%, and finally medical colleges at 17.2%.
Below are the most prominent results:
Slightly more than half of Jordanians agree that the M.B group has a vision for the country’s future:
57.3% agree that the M.B group has a vision for the country’s future, 39% disagreed.
Six out of ten Jordanians agree that the M.B group can deal positively with the problems facing Jordan if given the opportunity:
63.4% agree that the M.B group can deal positively with the problems facing Jordan if given the opportunity, 34.2% disagreed that.
Jordanians are divided over whether the M.B group can form a successful government if given appropriate opportunity:
53.5% of Jordanians agreed that the M.B group can form a successful government if given the appropriate opportunity to do so, 44.1% were disagreed.
Two-thirds of Jordanians agree that the M.B group takes into account the national interest in its positions related to local affairs:
67.5% agreed that the M.B group takes into account the national interest in its positions related to local affairs, 30.2% disagreed this.
Two-thirds of Jordanians agree that the M.B group accepts participation with other Movements if that serves Jordan’s interest:
67.2% agree that the M.B group accepts participation with other movements if it serves Jordan’s interests, 30.6% were disagreed.
Eight out of ten Jordanians agree that the M.B group concerned with the issues of the Muslims Nations:
82.7% agree that the M.B group cares about the issues of the Muslims nations, 15.8% disagreed.
The vast majority of Jordanians agree that the M.B group supports the Palestinian cause:
85.4% agree that the M.B group supports the Palestinian cause, 13.1% disagreed.
Jordanians are divided over whether the M.B group is concerned with foreign affairs at the expense of local national issues:
45.3% agreed that the M.B group cares about foreign affairs at the expense of local and national issues, 49.8% disagreed.
Half of Jordanians believe that the M.B group’s decision is not independent:
51.7% believe that the M.B group’s decision is not independent, compared to 44.7% who believe that its decision is independent.
Nearly two-thirds of Jordanians agree that governments in Jordan are restricting the M.B group’s activities:
65.2% agree that governments in Jordan are restricting the M.B group’s activities, 30.7% see the opposite.
Nearly three-quarters of Jordanians agree that the M.B group respects the rules of the democratic game:
73.6% agree that the M.B group respects the rules of the democratic process, compared to 24.7% of those who disagreed.
Half of Jordanians do not approve of the M.B group operating in secret:
51.6% disagreed that the M.B group operates secretly, compared to 41.7% who agree.
Three out of four Jordanians agree that the behavior of M.B group members is consistent with the general principles of Islam:
75.7% agree that the behavior of the M.B group’s members is consistent with the general principles of Islam, 22.5% disagreed.
Two-thirds of Jordanians agree that the M.B group believes in granting citizenship rights to everyone regardless of any other considerations:
68% agree that the M.B group believes in granting citizenship rights to everyone regardless of any other considerations, 28.8% disagreed with that.
Two-thirds of Jordanians agreed that the M.B group keeps pace with contemporary reality in its methods:
66.7% agree that the M.B group is keeping pace with contemporary reality in its methods, 31.8% see the opposite.
Two out of three Jordanians agree that the M.B group addresses all segments of Jordanian society:
66.4% agree that the M.B group addresses all segments of Jordanian society, 31.8% disagreed.
Two-thirds of Jordanians agree that the M.B group’s figures represent good role models in Jordanian society:
68.9% agreed that the M.B group’s preachers (symbols) represent good examples in Jordanian society, 28.2% were disagreed.
Eight out of ten Jordanians agree that the M.B group plays an influential role in charitable work:
80.9% agree that the M.B group plays an influential role in charitable work, 17.4% disagreed.
Jordanians were divided over whether the M.B group was exploiting institutions for the benefit of the organization:
46.2% agreed that the M.B group exploits institutions (religious, charitable, educational, health) for the benefit of the organization, 49.6% disagreed.
Six out of ten Jordanians agree that the M.B group believes in the important role of women in society:
60.7% agreed that the M.B group believes in the important role of women in society, 37.9% disagreed.
Nearly six out of ten Jordanians believe that the M.B group is always or often opposed to successive governments:
59.7% of the sample believe that the M.B group is always or mostly opposed to successive governments, compared to 36.3% who see that the group is always or mostly allied with them.
Regarding the relationship with some external parties, six out of ten described the M.B group’s relationship with Hamas as good, five out of ten Jordanians described the group’s relationship with Turkey as good, compared to two who described its relationship with Iran as well and three who described its relationship with Hezbollah as well:
63.8% described the M.B’s relationship with the Sunni Hamas movement as good, 53% described the group’s relationship with the Sunni Republic of Turkey as such, compared to 23.7% who described the group’s relationship with the Shiite Republic of Iran as such, 27.3% of those who described it as such with the Shiite Hezbollah, 5.1% of those who described it as such with ISIS.
Regarding the relationship with some internal parties, eight out of ten Jordanians agreed that it is good with the Palestinian refugee camps, seven see it as good with the Jordanian tribes, six see it as good with the Throne Institution, compared to five who see it as good with both the Jordanian army and the security services:
82.3% described the M.B group’s relationship with the Palestinian refugee camps as good, 71.2% described it with the Jordanian tribes, 60.6% with the Throne Foundation, 49.5% described it with the Jordanian army, and 46.2% with the security services.
One out of every 10 Jordanians has heard and read the political document of the Muslim Brotherhood group, six of them have never heard of it, three have only heard of it.
56.0% had not heard about the document at all, only 34.8% had heard of it, 8.7% had heard about and read the political document of the Islamic Movement.
Nearly two-thirds of Jordanians describe the M.B group’s ideology as centrist:
65.2% described the M.B group’s ideology as centrist, 17.1% described it as extremist, 14.9% described it as lenient.
Two-thirds of Jordanians believe that the M.B group views Islam as a religion that includes all aspects of life:
66.6% believe that the M.B group views Islam as a religion that includes all aspects of life.
Jordanians were divided in their opinions regarding the assessment of the M.B group’s position on the Children’s Rights Law draft of 2022:
26.2% described the M.B group’s position on the draft Child Rights Law of 2022 as negative, 24.9% described it as positive.
Six out of ten Jordanians were able to recognize the group’s logo:
63.6% recognized the M.B group’s logo when it was presented to them among five logos, 23.9% could not do so, and 11.5% did not know the group’s logo.
Six out of ten Jordanians believe that what determines the M.B group’s relationship with successive governments is the interest of Jordan and the group together:
60.5% of the sample believed that what determines the M.B group’s relationship with successive governments is the interest of Jordan and the group together.
Seven out of ten Jordanians describe the M.B group’s contribution to spreading good morals in society as influential:
70.9% described the M.B group’s contribution to spreading good morals in society as influential.
Six out of ten Jordanians were unable to count any of the M.B group’s symbols:
63% were unable to count any of the M.B group’s symbols, only 37.0% were able to do so.
Nearly half of Jordanians believe that the M.B group seeks to implement Sharia law and achieve reform, a third of them believe that it seeks to achieve political interests, a quarter or less of them believe that it seeks to achieve organizational gains or personal interests for members of the group, or to achieve freedom:
45.9% saw that the M.B group seeks to implement Sharia, 45.3% saw that it seeks to achieve reform, 33.2% saw that it seeks to achieve justice, 32.8% saw that it seeks to achieve political interests. In contrast, 25.5% saw that the group seeks to achieve political interests. Organizational, 20.7% saw that it seeks to achieve the personal interests of the group’s members, and 15.5% saw that it seeks to achieve freedom.
Six out of ten Jordanians know the M.B group through regular and satellite television:
63.2% know the M.B group through regular television and satellite channels, 49.1% know it through social media, 28.8% know the group through friends.
As for the first impression that comes to their mind when talking about the M.B group, a third of Jordanians said that it is a religious group, compared to a fifth of those who said that it is a political or comprehensive group:
34.2% expressed that the first impression that comes to their mind when talking about the M.B group is that it is a religious group, 21% expressed that it is a comprehensive group, 20.3% expressed that it is a political group, 15.7% expressed that it is a preaching group, 5.5% expressed that it is a charitable group, 16% expressed that it is an advocacy group, 2% that it is a social group.
Six out of ten Jordanians have only heard about the M.B group’s activities, and only two speak about these activities positively:
Only 60.7% have heard about the M.B group’s activities, but 23.5% speak positively about the group’s activities, compared to 9% who do not know anything about the group’s activities, and 6.3% speak negatively about the group’s activities.
Half of Jordanians consider the M.B group to be the most influential among the main trends in Jordan:
51.4% consider the M.B group to be the most influential among the main movements in Jordan, then the nationalist movement 23.8%, the leftist movement 6.1%, the Salafist movement 5.9%, followed by the Sufi movement 5.8%, then the secular movement 3.7%, and finally the feminist movement 3.4%.
The average satisfaction with the M.B group’s performance was 49.17%:
When respondents were asked about their level of satisfaction with the M.B group’s performance, the average level of satisfaction was 49.17%.
Slightly more than a third of Jordanians made suggestions to develop the M.B group’s work:
37.4% presented varied suggestions for developing the M.B group’s work (from their point of view), 62.6% did not have any suggestions for developing the group’s work. Including Political: demanding reform and staying away from politics; Religious: applying Islamic law, following the Sunnah of the Prophet, and adopting the morals of Islam; Organizational: changing the name of the group and improving and developing its performance and even demanding the dissolution of the group; Media: improving the group’s media performance and increasing its interaction with The public on social media and more awareness of the role of the group in Jordan, Relations with society: staying away from extremism, educating society, paying attention to youth and women, and fighting drugs, the Palestinian cause: more attention and support for the issue and alliance with all currents and parties for the sake of liberating Palestine.
For any explanations about the study or to request the purchase of the full report and Raw Data
Please contact: Dr. Samir Abu Rumman
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