Egyptian public opinion is divided over participation in the military campaign in Yemen, according to a new poll published Monday by the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera).
Polled on the possibility of a boots on the ground military campaign, the sample of 2016 Egyptians indicated that the public is against such a move. 43% of people disapprove and 34% are undecided, while only 23% are supportive of the possibility.
Whilst 42% of Egyptians agree to participation in aerial strikes against Houthi targets, 35% are undecided and 23% disapprove. Those in support are more likely to be male and have a university education, but the percentage of those who disapprove appears to be unrelated to education level.
Of those in favour of participating in the Saudi-led airstrikes against Houthi targets, 24% said it was because they believe Houthi control of Yemen is a threat to Egyptian national security, 21% said that confronting the Houthis is part of Egypt’s war on terror, 9% said that the strikes were necessary to provide security to all Arabs, 8% said that the Houthis were a threat to Egypt, and 8% said that the strikes were necessary to protect the Bab El-Mandeb strait.
Among those in opposition to airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen, 26% said that they were against Egypt getting involved in a war as this may jeopardise its stability, 22% voiced concern over the safety of the Egyptian army and troops, 11% stated that this was not a good time for Egypt to go to war, and 9% said that each country should handle its own internal affairs and that Egypt should refrain from interfering in other countries.
