By Maged Osman
The Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera) conducted a public opinion poll on President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s visit to the United States of America; which was from the 21-25 September. One of the most important events of this trip was the speech delivered at the Climate Change Summit representing the Arab delegations, and another delivered at the UN General Assembly. This is in addition to a number of important meetings with key figures and influential leaders of the world, such as President Barack Obama. The purpose of this poll was to know the degree of public awareness of this trip and how closely they followed its events.
When respondents were asked whether they knew or heard of President Al-Sisi’s visit to the US, 68% answered that they had heard of the visit, while 32% said that they were not aware of it. The percentage that affirmed they knew of it increases from 59% in Upper Egypt, to 71% in Lower Egypt, and 78% in urban governorates. Also the percentage of those who were aware of the visit varied by the level of education; 89% of those with university education were aware of the visit, compared to 59% of those with less than intermediate education.
To determine how aware the public is of the activities and events that took place during the visit, respondents were asked ‘what were the important things that the president did during the visit?’; multiple responses were allowed in this question. Around 13% of the respondents said meetings with important figures (ex: presidents, ministers, businessmen), while 11% indicated that attending the UN General Assembly and giving a speech was the most important event. A total of 10% mentioned Al-Sisi’s visit with US president Barack Obama, while 12% mentioned other events and activities. However, 63% of respondents did not know the events of the trip. The percentage of those unaware of the trip’s events increases from 56% among those aged 50 and above to 72% among youth aged 18 to 29.
Respondents were asked whether they had heard or read the two key speeches delivered by the president during the visit; 17% indicated that they had, while 13% said they had heard or read only one of the two speeches, and 70% had not heard or read either of the speeches. The percentage of those who had heard of or read at least one of the two speeches increases from 14% among youth aged 18 to 29, to 42% among those aged 50 and above. It also decreases from 43% among those with university education and above, to 28% among those with less than intermediate education.
By asking those who know of the visit whether they think the visit improved Egypt’s image in front of the world, 85% responded in agreement while 5% said that it didn’t make a difference, and 10% were unsure. The percentage of those who believe it improved Egypt’s image increases from 80% among youth aged 18 to 29, to 91% among those aged 50 and above.
The approval rate of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s performance increased after his visit to the US to 85% compared to 82% in the previous poll that was conducted by Baseera right before the visit and after 100 days of his rule. The percentage of those who strongly approve of his performance increased from 58% before the US visit to 61% after the US visit.
Poll Methodology:
The poll was conducted by using both mobile phones and landlines on a sample of 2026 citizens aged 18 years-old and above, and covering all governorates. All phone interviews were conducted on 28 and 29 September 2014. The response rate was around 51%, and the margin of error in the results is less than 3%. The poll was self-funded by Baseera as a part of its social responsibility activities.
For more information on the detailed findings and the methodology adopted, or to see the graphic presentation of results, please visit our website: www.baseera.com.eg
