US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI5411

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 005411 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/FO; INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:  PREL, KPAO, TC 
SUBJECT:  WHAT YONDER LIGHT DOTH SHINE?  UAE NEWSPAPER 
PUBLISHES POLL ON UAE NATIONAL ATTITUDES 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY AND COMMENT:  ARABIC DAILY AL KHALEEJ NEWSPAPER 
RECENTLY PUBLISHED A TWO-PART COMMENTARY ON A POLL CONDUCTED 
RANDOMLY OF 500 UAE NATIONALS IN SEVERAL UAE CITIES.  THE POLL 
ASKED A WIDE RANGE OF QUESTIONS ON POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND 
RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES.  FOR THE FIRST TIME, A UAE PAPER 
PUBLISHED STATISTICS ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, INDICATING 
THAT 10 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS THINK "POLITICAL PARTICIPATION" 
IS THE MOST IMPORTANT NATIONAL ISSUE.  WHAT IS ALSO REMARKABLE 
IS THAT A SCIENTIFIC POLL OF POPULAR ATTITUDES WAS PUBLISHED 
IN A WIDELY READ PAPER, SOMETHING RARELY SEEN IN THE UAE AND 
LENDING FURTHER CREDENCE TO PRIVATE REMARKS BY UAEG OFFICIALS 
THAT JOURNALISTS HAVE A LOT MORE LATITUDE THAN THEY BELIEVE. 
END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
2.  ON DECEMBER 20 AND 21, 2003, AL KHALEEJ PUBLISHED A TWO- 
PART ANALYSIS OF A RECENT POLL CONDUCTED OF 500 UAE NATIONALS. 
RESPONDENTS INCLUDED 323 MEN AND 177 WOMEN, FROM AGE 15 TO 30. 
INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED RANDOMLY IN SEVERAL UAE CITIES. 
RESPONSES WERE BROKEN DOWN BY GENDER, AGE GROUP, PROFESSION, 
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL, PRIVATE VERSUS PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND 
MARITAL STATUS. 
 
3.  QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES INCLUDED IN TOTAL VALUES (MEN 
VERSUS WOMEN IN PARENTHESES): 
 
--Q: HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELIGIOSITY? 
--VERY RELIGIOUS: 6 PERCENT (6.5 VS. 5.1) 
--MODERATE: 85.4 PERCENT (83.6 VS. 88.7) 
--NOT RELIGIOUS: 8.2 PERCENT (9.3 VS. 6.2) 
 
--Q: WHAT IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL ISSUE? 
--DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE: 38.8 PERCENT (43.7 VS. 29.9) 
--POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: 10 PERCENT (10.2 VS. 9.6) 
--EMIRATIZATION: 30 PERCENT (26.6 VS. 36.2) 
--EDUCATION: 16.6 PERCENT (16.1 VS. 17.5) 
--OTHER: 3 PERCENT (2.2 VS. 4.5) 
--UNKNOWN: 1.6 PERCENT (1.2 VS. 2.3) 
 
--Q: WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE? 
--HOMELAND: 23 PERCENT (26.3 VS. 18.1) 
--FAMILY: 17.4 PERCENT (13 VS. 25.4) 
--RELIGION: 42.8 PERCENT (46.1 VS. 36.7) 
--EDUCATION: 5.8 PERCENT (3.4 VS. 10.2) 
--WEALTH: 10 PERCENT (10.5 VS. 9) 
 
--Q: HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS TO 
SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE? 
--SATISFIED: 66.8 PERCENT (67.2 VS. 66.1) 
--NOT SATISFIED: 32.8 PERCENT (32.2 VS. 33.9) 
--NOT DECLARED: 0.4 PERCENT (0.6 VS. 0.0) 
 
--Q: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE EMIRATES' POLICY TO BE OPEN TO 
THE WORLD? 
--SUPPORT: 85.2 PERCENT (87 VS. 81.9) 
--DON'T SUPPORT: 13.8 PERCENT (11.8 VS. 17.5) 
--UNKNOWN: 1 PERCENT (1.2 VS. 0.6) 
 
--Q: WHERE WOULD YOU PREFER TO WORK? 
--GOVERNMENT: 44.6 PERCENT (39.9 VS. 53.1) 
--PRIVATE SECTOR: 14.2 (14.6 VS. 13.6) 
--PERSONAL BUSINESS: 30.8 PERCENT (35.9 VS. 21.5) 
--WHEREVER: 9 PERCENT (7.7 VS. 11.3) 
--OTHER: 0.2 PERCENT (0.3 VS. 0.0) 
--UNKNOWN: 1.2 PERCENT (1.5 VS. 0.6) 
 
--Q: HOW DO YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR FREE TIME? 
--USING COMPUTERS: 27.6 PERCENT (25.1 VS. 32.2) 
--WATCHING TV: 21.2 PERCENT (14.2 VS. 33.9) 
--OUTSIDE THE HOUSE: 39.4 PERCENT (49.5 VS. 20.9) 
--OTHER: 11.4 PERCENT (10.8 VS. 12.4) 
--UNKNOWN: 0.4 PERCENT (0.3 VS. 0.6) 
 
--Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE OF YOUNG 
PEOPLE? 
--SPOILED: 26 PERCENT (26.9 VS. 24.3) 
--MODERATE: 34.6 PERCENT (36.8 VS. 30.5) 
--EXTREMIST: 2.2 PERCENT (3.1 VS. 0.6) 
--ALIEN: 4.4 PERCENT (5.3 VS. 2.8) 
--IRRESPONSIBLE: 32.6 PERCENT (27.9 VS. 41.2) 
 
--Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ELDERLY IN THE UAE? 
--OPEN-MINDED: 27.4 PERCENT (27.9 VS. 26.6) 
--CONSERVATIVE: 72.2 PERCENT (71.8 VS. 72.9) 
--UNKNOWN: 0.4 PERCENT (0.3 VS. 0.6) 
 
--Q: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ARABS' CURRENT SITUATION? 
--SCARED: 14 PERCENT (10.5 VS. 20.3) 
--SORRY: 46.4 PERCENT (45.5 VS. 48) 
--ANGRY: 28.6 PERCENT (33.1 VS. 20.3) 
--DON'T CARE: 10.6 PERCENT (10.2 VS. 11.3) 
--UNKNOWN: 0.4 PERCENT (0.6 VS. 0.0) 
 
--Q: HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR FUTURE? 
--OPTIMISTIC: 74 PERCENT (74 VS. 74) 
--PESSIMISTIC: 7.4 PERCENT (6.8 VS. 8.5) 
--I DON'T THINK ABOUT IT: 18.2 PERCENT (18.6 VS. 17.5) 
--UNKNOWN: 0.4 PERCENT (0.6 VS. 0.0) 
 
4.  COMMENT:  THE RESULTS GIVE US A USEFUL GLIMPSE AT 
NATIONALS' ATTITUDES TOWARD, AMONG OTHER THINGS, POLITICAL 
PARTICIPATION.  ALSO, BREAKING DOWN THE RESPONSES BY MEN 
VERSUS WOMEN YIELDS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT ATTITUDES IN 
SEVERAL AREAS.  WOMEN ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH GETTING AN 
EDUCATION AND A JOB AND SPEND A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THEIR 
TIME INDOORS, SURFING THE INTERNET OR WATCHING TV.  THIS GELS 
WITH PA AND POL STAFF EXPERIENCE IN TALKING WITH FEMALE 
STUDENTS AT ZAYED UNIVERSITY OR THE UAE UNIVERSITY, WHERE 
INFORMATION FROM SATELLITE TV AND THE INTERNET IS A PRIMARY 
SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE. 
 
5.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS TYPE OF POLL, WITH A VARIETY OF 
OPINIONS FOR AND AGAINST THE OFFICIAL UAEG LINE, HAS NEVER 
BEEN PUBLISHED IN SUCH A PROMINENT UAE NEWSPAPER.  TYPICALLY, 
THE UAE'S PAPERS USE INFORMAL "MAN ON THE STREET" SURVEYS TO 
PULSE PULIC OPINION.  PUBLICATION OF THIS MORE SCIENTIFIC POLL 
LENDS CREDIBILITY TO PRIVATE REMARKS BY SENIOR UAEG OFFICIALS 
THAT JOURNALISTS HAVE MUCH MORE FREEDOM THAN THEY CURRENTLY 
EXERCISE.  WHILE THE UAEG HAS ALSO MADE CLEAR THAT 
ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE RECENTLY TERMINATED ZAYED CENTER FOR 
COORDINATION AND FOLLOWUP WILL NOT BE TOLERATED, THE 
PUBLICATION OF THIS POLL IS YET ANOTHER SIGNAL THAT THE UAEG, 
BUILT ON THE CONSERVATIVE FOUNDATIONS OF TRIBAL CONSENSUS, IS 
WILLING TO ALLOW THE MEDIA TO PUBLISH ITS CITIZENS' DISCUSSION 
OF THE COUNTRY'S ISSUES.  END COMMENT. 
 
WAHBA