FROM LEFT: Salah El Zein, Director of the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, and Dr Ezzeddine Abdelmoula during the press conference to release latest groundbreaking pool results on the opinions of youth on Arab Spring revolutions, at Al Jazeera Auditorium Doha yesterday. Kammutty VP
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: A majority of Arab youth believe that parliaments and councils formed after the revolutions do not represent them, according to poll findings released by Al Jazeera Centre for Studies yesterday.
‘The Arab Spring: Arab Youth Opinion Poll’ was conducted in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen and covered 8,045 youth between April and May.
The survey has found that the majority of young people do not feel represented in political institutions formed after revolutions in their countries.
In Tunisia, 80.9 percent said that the deputies of the Constituent Assembly do not represent them, while 17 percent felt otherwise.
Findings did not differ much in Egypt, where 72.1 percent of respondents confirmed that they did not feel that MPs represented them, in comparison with 24.2 percent who believe that they do.
In Libya, the percentage of those who believe that the National Conference does not represent them dropped to below two-thirds (62.1 percent), in comparison with 35.3 percent who believe the Conference represents them
“They are not upset about the (political) bodies formed, but not against democracy,” the Head of Research at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Dr Ezzeddine Abdelmoula, told a press conference yesterday at Al Jazeera Auditorium.
“The survey was conducted during the transitional period. This poll has raised questions which need to find reasons.”
Respondents also denied any association with political parties in their countries.
Findings reveal that 95.3 percent of Egyptian youth, 86.9 percent of Tunisians, 84.7 percent of Libyans, and 84.4 percent of Yemeni youth do not intend to belong to any political party in the future.
“In spite of their negative assessment of the pace of change in the transitional phase and their subsequent dissatisfaction in what has been achieved in many areas, most young people expressed optimism about the future. They believe that these revolutions will achieve their objectives in due time,” said the Director of Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Salah El Zein.
Majority of respondents favoured their identity as Muslims instead of nationalistic identities.
The vast majority of respondents in Tunisia, Libya and Yemen selected ‘Muslim’ as their first choice, however Egypt was an exception. Around 61.6 percent responded that they were Egyptians first, 35.2 percent said they were Muslims first, while 1.7 percent indicated primary affiliations towards an Arab identity.
Respondents agreed that Shariah should be the main source of legislation. They also unanimously agreed unemployment and poor economic conditions were the factors behind the revolutions.
The Peninsula
