Over two-thirds of Jordanians prefer Clinton as US president — poll

AMMAN — More than two-thirds of Jordanians prefer Hillary Clinton to be the next president of the US over Donald Trump, according to a survey by the Arab Centre Washington DC.

Around 68 per cent of Jordanians said they prefer Clinton to be the next US president, while 9 per cent of Jordanians said they prefer Trump, the survey, conducted in cooperation with the Doha-based Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies, indicated.

Asked which candidate would have a positive impact on US foreign policy towards the Arab world, 67 per cent of Jordanians said Clinton, while 11 per cent said Trump, according to the poll, which covered a sample of 3,600 respondents in nine Arab countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip), Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

When asked which of the two candidates would have a positive impact on US foreign policy towards Jordan, 71 per cent of polled Jordanians said the former secretary of state would, compared to less than 10 per cent who opted for the real estate mogul.

Around 38 per cent of Jordanians said US foreign policy towards the Arab world is very negative, while 21 per cent said the policy is somewhat negative.

Of the Arab countries surveyed, respondents in Iraq (33 per cent), Morocco (33 per cent) and Tunisia (31 per cent) expressed the most overall positive views of US foreign policy towards the Arab world.

Meanwhile, respondents in Algeria and Palestine (78 per cent of each country’s sample) expressed the most negative views. 

Regarding attitudes towards the American people, Kuwaitis and Jordanians hold the most positive views, at 82 per cent within each population. 

As for the top issues that the next US president should focus on, the largest proportion (28 per cent) believe the US should not intervene in the affairs of Arab countries, while 23 per cent said combating Daesh should be the top priority that the next US president should focus on. 

About 45 per cent of Iraqis and 39 per cent of Tunisians expressed combating Daesh as the top priority, while 30 per cent of respondents in Jordan and 23 per cent of Algerians believe the Palestinian cause should be a top priority for the next US president. 

When asked about their general views of the United States, almost half of the Arab public expressed positive views. 

However, consistent with similar public opinion polls, there is a strong Arab distrust in US foreign policy.

Overall, 66 per cent of Arabs have a negative or somewhat negative attitude towards US policy in the Arab world, in contrast with 73 per cent who expressed positive overall views of the American people.