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The following are the results of the Palestinian Arab agency known as Jerusalem Media & CommunicationCentre [JMCC] Public Opinion Poll Number 21 of a random sample of 1,197 Palestinians age 18 and over in the West Bank [758] and Gaza [439] who were interviewed face-to-face on 3 and 4 July 1997. The statistical error is +/- 3 percentage points.
1. In general, to what extent would you say you are optimistic about the future? Would you say you are very optimistic, optimistic, pessimistic, or very pessimistic?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | ||
| Very optimistic | 6.7% | 6.1% | 7.7% | |
| Optimistic | 60.1% | 57.0% | 65.4% | |
| Pessimistic | 25.7% | 29.3% | 19.6% | |
| Very pessimistic | 6.9% | 6.9% | 7.1% | |
| No answer | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
2. In general, do you support or oppose the current peace process between the Palestinians and Israel? Do you strongly support, somewhat support, strongly oppose, or somewhat oppose the peace process?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | |
| Strongly support | 22.3% | 21.4% | 23.9% |
| Somewhat support | 46.4% | 44.9% | 49.2% |
| Strongly oppose | 13.6% | 14.2% | 12.5% |
| Somewhat oppose | 12.9% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| No answer | 4.8% | 5.6% | 3.0% |
3. Which Palestinian political or religious faction do you trust most?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | |
| Fateh | 34.8% | 34.8% | 34.9% |
| Hamas | 11.3% | 11.1% | 11.6% |
| PFLP | 3.1% | 3.7% | 2.1% |
| DFLP | 0.8% | 1.3% | – |
| Islamic Jihad | 2.6% | 2.0% | 3.6% |
| PPP | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.5% |
| FIDA | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| Other Islamic Org. | 2.3% | 2.6% | 1.6% |
| Others | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Do not trust anyone | 31.2% | 30.3% | 32.6% |
| No answer | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
4. Which Palestinian political or religious personality do you trust most?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | |
| Yasser Arafat | 37.6% | 34.6% | 42.8% |
| Ahmed Yassin | 6.7% | 6.2% | 7.5% |
| Haidar Adbur Shafi | 3.7% | 3.8% | 3.4% |
| Hanan Ashrawi | 2.6% | 3.3% | 1.4% |
| George Habash | 2.5% | 2.9% | 1.8% |
| Sa’eb Erekat | 1.8% | 2.0% | 1.4% |
| Fasal Husseini | 0.9% | 1.2% | 0.5% |
| Abu Mazen | 0.8% | 1.2% | 0.2% |
| Nayef Hawatmeh | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Others | 8.9% | 7.2% | 11.4% |
| Do not trust anyone | 24.2% | 26.9% | 19.6% |
| No answer | 9.7% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
5. In general, how would you rate the overall performance of the Palestinian Authority? Would you say that its performance has been very good, good, bad or very bad?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | ||
| Very good | 7.7% | 7.0% | 8.9% | |
| Good | 59.7% | 61.3% | 56.9% | |
| Bad | 21.7% | 21.1% | 22.8% | |
| Very bad | 7.4% | 7.0% | 8.0% | |
| No answer | 3.5% | 3.6% | 3.8% |
6. In general, how would you rate the overall performance of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | |
| Good | 49.5% | 43.8% | 59.5% |
| Average | 33.0% | 35.5% | 28.7% |
| Bad | 12.8% | 15.6% | 8.0% |
| No answer | 4.7% | 5.1% | 3.9% |
7. In general, how would you rate the overall performance of the Palestinian Legislative Council? Would you say that its performance has been very good, good, bad, or very bad?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | |
| Very good | 4.4% | 4.6% | 4.1% |
| Good | 42.3% | 43.7% | 39.9% |
| Bad | 29.7% | 29.6% | 30.1% |
| Very bad | 13.4% | 10.6% | 18.2% |
| No answer | 10.2% | 11.5% | 7.7% |
8. Now that the Oslo agreements for the transitional period have been implemented for some time, to what extent do you support or oppose these agreements?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | ||
| Strongly support | 8.2% | 7.4% | 9.6% | |
| Cautiously support | 54.2% | 55.4% | 52.2% | |
| Do not support | 30.4% | 29.9% | 31.2% | |
| No answer | 7.2% | 7.3% | 7.0% |
9. How was your opinion of the following changed in comparison with last year? Has it improved, worsened, or remain the same as last year?
Total
| Improved | Worsened | Same | Don’t know | No answer | |
| Yasser Arafat | 42.0% | 14.5% | 37.4% | 4.3% | 1.8% |
| Security forces | 36.3% | 29.7% | 24.6% | 7.5% | 1.9% |
| Peace process | 7.5% | 71.0% | 16.6% | 3.7% | 1.2% |
| Oslo | 4.3% | 65.2% | 21.0% | 8.1% | 1.4% |
| PLC | 18.0% | 34.6% | 33.9% | 11.6% | 1.8% |
| PNA | 31.7% | 28.4% | 32.7% | 5.4% | 1.9% |
| Opposition | 15.5% | 27.8% | 40.8% | 13.0% | 2.9% |
| Fateh | 24.8% | 25.5% | 37.0% | 10.2% | 2.5% |
| Hamas | 17.8% | 27.1% | 39.0% | 13.2% | 2.9% |
| Haider Abdul Shafi | 16.4% | 11.8% | 38.8% | 28.7% | 4.3% |
West Bank
| Improved | Worsened | Same | Don’t know | No answer | |
| Yasser Arafat | 34.4% | 17.2% | 40.9% | 5.4% | 2.1% |
| Security forces | 34.7% | 29.2% | 24.9% | 9.2% | 2.0% |
| Peace process | 6.9% | 72.6% | 14.9% | 4.4% | 1.2% |
| Oslo | 4.0% | 65.7% | 19.9% | 9.1% | 1.3% |
| PLC | 17.3% | 34.6% | 32.6% | 13.9% | 1.6% |
| PNA | 31.9% | 29.7% | 30.6% | 6.2% | 1.6% |
| Opposition | 12.7% | 31.7% | 38.1% | 15.2% | 2.3% |
| Fateh | 24.5% | 26.6% | 34.7% | 11.6% | 2.6% |
| Hamas | 14.8% | 29.7% | 38.1% | 14.4% | 3.0% |
| Haider Abdul Shafi | 12.7% | 12.4% | 38.5% | 31.3% | 5.1% |
Gaza Strip
| Improved | Worsened | Same | Don’t know | No answer | |
| Yasser Arafat | 55.1% | 9.8% | 31.4% | 2.3% | 1.4% |
| Security forces | 39.2% | 30.8% | 23.9% | 4.6% | 1.5% |
| Peace process | 8.7% | 68.3% | 19.6% | 2.5% | 0.9% |
| Oslo | 4.8% | 64.5% | 22.8% | 6.4% | 1.5% |
| PLC | 19.4% | 34.6% | 36.2% | 7.7% | 2.1% |
| PNA | 31.2% | 26.2% | 36.2% | 4.1% | 2.3% |
| Opposition | 20.3% | 21.2% | 45.3% | 9.3% | 3.9% |
| Fateh | 25.3% | 23.5% | 41.0% | 7.7% | 2.5% |
| Hamas | 23.0% | 22.6% | 40.5% | 11.2% | 2.7% |
| Haider Abdul Shafi | 22.8% | 10.7% | 39.2% | 24.1% | 3.2% |
10. Some Palestinians think that the level of corruption in the Palestinian Authority is high; others think that there is corruption but it is not widespread; while others think that there isn’t any corruption. What do you think?
| Total | W.Bank | Gaza | |
| There is a great deal | 44.9% | 42.0% | 49.9% |
| There is a fair amount | 40.7% | 40.9% | 40.3% |
| There is hardly any at all | 6.6% | 7.9% | 4.3% |
| No answer | 7.8% | 9.2% | 5.5% |
