Democracy in Jordan 2006

The Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan conducted an opinion poll on democracy in Jordan in the period 27 June – 1 July 2006. This is the 13th annual poll carried out by the CSS as part of a research project on democratic transformation in Jordan. The size of the completed poll sample totaled 1115 respondents aged 18 and above with a margin of error of ±3%. The poll aims to track the opinion of Jordanian citizens on democratic transformation in general by assessing the level of democracy as perceived by citizens, what democracy means to Jordanians, and what type of political system Jordanians prefer. Additionally, the degree to which public freedoms are guaranteed and perceived obstacles to democracy in Jordan were measured, as well as the role political parties and their respective popularity. The poll also evaluated the performance of the current parliament in drafting laws to address problems of unemployment, poverty, corruption, price hikes and guarantee of public freedoms. The specific performance of the electoral constituency MPs was measured, as well as the extent of their communication with the voters. Among the important topics addressed by the poll was the issue of priorities held by Jordanians: Are they external or internal? Political or economic? The importance of this topic arises from the fact that it has been prominent in national dialogue in Jordan in recent years. The poll also addressed visual and audio media and the extent of people’s trust in it with regard to local, Arab and international political news. The major findings of the poll are presented in the following report.