Jeddah, May 14(Arab News): Fifty percent of Saudis support NATO's military intervention in Libya while 33 percent oppose it and 17 percent have no comment, according to an online poll.
The findings, part of an international survey conducted by Ipsos last month, but just published, also shows remarkable support in India for the military action, where 75 percent of the citizens backed the offensive.
Saudi Arabia is the only Arab country included in the poll.
The question posed to respondents was: As you may know, a number of countries who are part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including the US, France, Great Britain, Canada and Germany, undertook, with the support of the Arab League, to enforce a UN Resolution and intervene, militarily, in Libya. Based on what you have seen, read or heard, do you support very much, support somewhat, oppose somewhat or oppose very much, this intervention?
The Saudi viewpoint is divided as follows: Supported very much: 22 percent; supported somewhat: 28 percent; opposed somewhat: 17 percent; and opposed very much: 16 percent. Seventeen percent preferred not to answer.
The study, however, highlights some opposition, with considerably more than half of citizens in Turkey (66 percent) voicing disapproval of the operations. It said three quarters of Russians (77 percent), 62 percent in Argentina and 54 percent in Indonesia are also against the military intervention in Libya.
More than 17,500 people were interviewed online by Ipsos between April 6 and April 21 and the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Around three in five Americans, Germans and Britons (60 percent, 59 percent and 57 percent respectively) support the action.
Among the 12 NATO countries included in the poll, 57 percent supported the intervention and 43 opposed it.
Turkey is an exception with only 34 percent supporting the intervention.
The strongest support came from North America (66 percent) and Europe (64 percent).
Bobby Duffy, managing director of Ipsos MORI, said: "Clearly, there is support from citizens all over the world for the NATO-led action in Libya at the moment. However, that support is likely to fall away if it drags on, becomes expensive and has no clear outcome."
This survey was conducted via the Ipsos Online Panel system, interviewing an international sample of 17,787 adults aged between 16 and 64. The age group (18-64) was slightly different in the US and Canada.
Around 1,000+ individuals participated on a country-by-country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel with the exception of Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Belgium, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, where each have a sample approximately 500+.
Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to the most recent country census data, and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe, according to an Ipsos statement.
Ipsos is the second largest global survey-based market-research company, owned and managed by research professionals that assess market potential and interpret market trends for over 5,000 worldwide clients.