By Aaron T. Rose
80% of respondents see Egypt as worse off than it was under Hosni Mubarak, according to a new Gallup poll, while 50% envision Egypt still being worse off in five years.
The Egyptians polled were, however, optimistic about the condition of press freedom in the country. 57% of respondents said they thought freedom of the media has improved.
The poll, conducted two weeks before President Mohamed Morsi was ousted, also found that respondents were pessimistic about employment and economic recovery.
71% of those polled thought job opportunities in the private sector had declined, while 68% thought job opportunities in the public sector had declined. 42% thought that it would take more than five years for the job situation to improve.
Lina Ashour, an editor at Enigma magazine, agreed with most of the poll’s respondents that things are worse off now than they were under Mubarak, but she does have some optimism for the future.
“Things will get better once there is increased tolerance among actual citizens,” said Ashour.
This latest Gallup poll is the third in a series of polls on the conditions in Egypt. The previous polls also showed Egyptians losing confidence in their country. 58% of respondents described their state of wellbeing as “struggling,” while vast majorities of Egyptians said the economic situation is deteriorating (80%) and that they do not support Morsi’s Freedom and Justice Party (73%).
The Gallup poll, conducted between 12 and 19 June, was based on face-to-face interviews with 1,149 Egyptian adults aged 15 and older.
