Egyptian poll shows Morsi popularity at all-time low
Results show despite low opinion there is no viable alternative to Morsi and that he still would gain the majority of support.
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMONAnti-Morsi protest in Egypt 370(photo credit: REUTERS)
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s job approval rating hit an all-time low in March according to a new poll by the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera).The poll, carried out by phone March 27-28, showed that 47 percent of Egyptians thought he was doing well, compared to a 78% rate after his first 100 days in power. The poll also found that he had a 45% disapproval rating – supporting news reports of a divided public – and 8% were undecided.A report by Magued Osman, published with the findings, stated that those with a university degree had a significantly lower opinion of the president compared to those with less than a high school degree, who support Morsi at a rate of 51%.However, the results also demonstrated that there is no viable alternative to Morsi and that he still would gain the majority of support, as 37% said they would vote for him if new elections were held. Only 8% said they would back the previous second place candidate, Ahmed Shafiq.Other potential candidates would receive minimal support, the poll showed. Mohamed ElBaradei, a leader in the National Salvation Front, a coalition of opposition parties, had only 1% approval, the same amount registered by the former president, Hosni Mubarak. The survey found 60% of Egyptians do not support the NSF.Another significant finding was that out of those who said they would not vote for Morsi in new elections, two-thirds did not know whom they would vote for instead.The poll sampled 2,202 Egyptians age 18 and older. The response rate was 73% and the margin of error was less than 3%.Around 54% were rural residents and 46% urban. Almost an equal number of men and women were polled and around 52% came from the lowest of three economic brackets defined in the poll.
