DUBAI, U.A.E. (March 13, 2025) – Cygnal, one of the fastest growing and most accurate private U.S.-based polling firms, released the following international poll (conducted March 3-9) of 660 adults (aged 18+) in the general populations of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar. This poll dovetails with our recently released National Voter Trends (NVT) poll comparing views about international affairs and optimism about the direction of America among other issues.
“Middle Easterners, by almost double, were more optimistic about America and its trajectory than most Americans,” said International Pollster and Director of Political and Policy Strategy, Alex Tarascio. “Partisanship among Americans and our news consumption has a lot to do with that, as does a number of other factors like demographics and even the frequency of attendance of religious services but much of the optimism in the region is driven by younger people, expatriates, and imported laborers.”
“Most might expect views about China and the United States to be more lopsided in China’s favor, but the data shows while people in the Middle East like China, most still see America as the global superpower by a twenty-point-plus gap,” said Pollster and Cygnal President, Brent Buchanan. “When it comes to economic opportunity in the near future, most countries in the region we surveyed were in line with the United States in that they see more future opportunities in their home countries versus the prospects of moving abroad.”
Additional takeaways from Buchanan and Tarascio:
Global Direction: 59 percent of Middle Eastern respondents said things in the world are getting better versus 35 percent who said they’re getting worse. Contrast this with the United States where 64 percent said things were getting worse versus 27 percent saying things are on the upswing.
- Key Demos: Shia and Sunni sects feel the same (59%) about the direction of the world getting better while females are less optimistic (-8) compared to males.
- What about the U.S.? Middle Easterners were more optimistic (+4) about the trajectory of the United States than Americans were.
Trump Image: Middle Easterners who have no opinion (13%) of Trump offset his unfavorable image (36%) while his favorable image (48%) is one point higher than Americans’ (47%).
- The Strongman Approach: Middle Easterners show a clear preference for strong leadership, with Trump enjoying a net-favorable image (48% fav., 36% unfav.) by a 12-point margin. Those who attend religious services regularly or monthly, both in the Middle East and the U.S., have a stronger preference for strongman leadership compared to less religious individuals (slide 3 graphic).
Global Images:
- United States: among Americans (71% fav.; 26% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (55% fav.; 32% unfav.)
- Russia: among Americans (11% fav.; 79% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (54% fav.; 30% unfav.)
- China: among Americans (13% fav.; 75% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (69% fav.; 19% unfav.)
- Iran: among Americans (7% fav.; 75% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (32% fav.; 48% unfav.)
Effectiveness of NGOs? Middle Easterners, who have arguably had more interaction with international NGOs than American voters, are more likely to believe these organizations are effective in addressing global challenges (57% say NGOs are effective). In contrast, American voters, who have contributed more financially to NGOs, are more skeptical, with a plurality (43%) saying NGOs are ineffective.
Global Superpower? When asked whether the United States or China was the world’s leading superpower, a majority of Middle Easterners say the U.S. (55%) over China (32%) though by a smaller margin compared to Americans (66% America vs. 21% China).
- Two Interesting Demos: Sunnis and Shia differ on who’s the superpower with 55 percent of Sunnis saying it’s America while 54 percent of Shias think it’s China. Male and female Middle Easterners differ widely as well, with 60 percent of males saying the US is the dominant superpower while only 47 percent of females think so.
- Qatar was the only country more closely divided on who is the global superpower (45% America vs. 49% China). Ironically, the Qataris also think the US should take a leading role (39%) in promoting democracy around the globe, more than any other neighboring country surveyed.
Promoting Democracy: More Middle Easterners prefer the United States take a supportive role (34%) than a leading one (29%) in promoting democracy worldwide. Shia populations much prefer (46%) the US to take a leading role whereas only 26 percent of Sunnis think so, preferring a supportive or neutral role.