Nearly Half of MENA Region Wouldn’t Vote for Either Clinton or Trump

Casablanca – According to a recent poll conducted by Arab News, a Middle Eastern daily, and YouGov, one of the world’s leading market research companies, 47 percent of Arabs would “snub both Clinton and Trump, if given the chance to vote.”

However, that does not mean that Arabs feel the same about both candidates. Out of 3,017 people surveyed in the Middle East and North African region, 44 percent would vote for Hillary Clinton with just 9 percent opting for Trump. 

Hillary Clinton was favored in the polls regarding her stance on climate change, immigration and the United State’s Israel policy.

That being said, the Republican candidate’s stance on border control and abortion have surprisingly proven to be popular amongst those surveyed. Pollers’ stance on abortion is likely similar to that of Trump due to the fact that, in many Arab countries, abortion is illegal. 

In response to the poll results, Stephan Shakespeare, Chief Executive at YouGov, stated that, “There is little enthusiasm for either candidate but 78 percent believe Clinton would be better for the Arab world if elected as president versus 22 percent for Trump.”

“However, on abortion and security, the majority of Arab opinion backs Trump over Clinton. It is not unreasonable to assume that this support could extend to other important social issues,” he added.  

According to a YouGov press release detailing the results of this poll, “People in the region were split equally over the candidates’ viewpoints on divisive issues like the war in Syria or Iran nuclear deal.”

Overall, the results of this poll show how nuanced Arab opinion is when it comes to the U.S. presidential elections. However, many could agree on one thing: this is an important election. Seventy-eight percent of those polled said the election results will have a direct impact on the region, regardless of who wins.