Rehabilitation of the Palestinian economy (Poll No. 134)

Poll No.134
Date: 02 March 2005

Upon the conclusion of the London Conference held for the rehabilitation of
the Palestinian economy:

65.4% Are optimistic that Abu Mazin will realize economic
achievements.

57.8% Evaluated the general economic situation in the Palestinian
territories as bad.

70.8% Are worried about the subsistence of their families.

45.1% Believe that their major concern at present is safety.

Beit Sahour: from Majd Kukali- Information Section

A poll recently conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion
(PCPO) in cooperation with the Palestinian Economists' Association (PEA)
under the supervision of Dr. Nabil Kukali and consisting of (980)
Palestinian adults revealed that (57.8%) of the respondents evaluated the
general economic situation in the Palestinian territories as "bad". The
results of this poll have shown that the overwhelming majority of the
inhabitants of Gaza Strip (65.1%) evaluated the general economic situation
as "bad", compared with (54.1%) of the inhabitants of the West Bank.

Mr. Mohammed Qirsh, the PEA-Secretary, said that the most significant thing
the poll results displayed is that the Palestinian territories are suffering
from a suffocating economic crisis. The continuation of Israel imposing an
economic siege and placing checkpoints and barriers in the Palestinian
territories has dramatically enhanced the deterioration of the economic
situations in the PA territories.

Mr. Qirsh pointed out that there is a very bad need for economical programs
for the remedy of the bad economical conditions by the Palestinian
Authority. He added that "the PEA will do its best by carrying out
researches and studies on the follow-up of the economic developments in the
PA territories.

Dr. Nabil Kukali, the PCPO president and the person in charge of the foreign
relations at the Palestinian Economists Association (PEA) said that the
Palestinian economy is encountering numerous problems and difficulties,
which affect the course of its growth and development and left their
fingerprints on the majority of the Palestinian society, since more than
70.8% are concerned about their life subsistence. Dr. Kukali hopes that the
London Conference will achieve feasible results for the remedy of the
deteriorated economic situations by supporting the Palestinian Authority in
the administration of its territories, developing the economy, creating
economic projects, encouraging the international private sector to carry out
investments in the Palestinian territories, producing a new program for
securing loans. All these measures consolidated will optimally boost the
possibilities of the Palestinian Authority. The real success of London
Conference will be measured upon the implementation of its decisions in a
way they become effectively tangible by the Palestinian people and the
Palestinian institutions.

Dr. Nabil Kukali said the results of the poll where as follows:

1) Up to which extent are you at present worried about the subsistence of
your family?
Very worried 25.3% Worried 45.5%
Not so worried 18.5% Not worried at all 8.5%
Don't know 2.2%

2) Do you think that Mr. Mahmoud Abbas "Abu Mazin" is raising an economic
program for encountering the present economic crisis?
Yes 52.4% No 36.7% Don't know 10.9%

3) Do you believe that the PA is capable or incapable of creating job
opportunities for the Palestinian, who were working in Israel?
Capable 25.4% Incapable 68.6% Do not know 6%

4) To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
"Mutual cooperation and joint projects between all nations of the region,
including Israelis and Palestinians, in areas such as water, health,
environment, tourism etc. - should start as soon as possible, now even
before final peace agreements are reached"
Strongly agree 13.5% Somewhat agree 55.2%
Somewhat disagree 16.3% Strongly disagree 10.2%
Don't know. 4.8%

5) In the present situation of not achieving yet an agreement of a durable
peace, do you agree or disagree with an open market and joint economical
projects between Israel and the Palestinians?
Strongly agree 16.1% Somewhat agree 48.0%
Somewhat disagree 18.1% Strongly disagree 13.8%
Don't know. 4.0%

6) In general, what is the degree of your satisfaction or dissatisfaction
about the services rendered by the banks operating in the territories of the
Palestinian Authority?
Very satisfied 9.4% Somewhat satisfied 52.4%
Somewhat dissatisfied 17.0% Dissatisfied 14.1%
Don't know 7.1%

7) Who in general make the shopping in the family?"
The husband 32.2% The wife 17.9%
The both the wife and the husband 34.7% The children 12.6%
answered otherwise 2.6%

8) What is your main concern at present?
job / money 17.2% Security 45.1% Health 17.3% Future 20.4%

9) Are you optimistic or pessimistic towards the realization of economical
achievements in the Palestinian territories by Mr. Mahmoud Abbas "Abu
Mazin"?
Optimistic 65.4% Pessimistic 27.3% Don't know 7.3%

10) Do you evaluate the general economic situation in the Palestinian
territories as?
Good 6.9% 2. Middling 34.5% Bad 57.8% Don't know 0.8%

11) Content with Life
To which degree are you content with your life in general ?" whereby it is
said that (1) means "very discontent" and going ahead up to (10), which
means "very content". The arithmetic average of the degree of "content with
life" was found at (5.58).

Few facts about the poll

President of the PCPO, Dr Nabil Kukali, stated that the poll was conducted
February (22 - 26), 2005, and the interviews in that survey were carried out
face to face inside the respondents' homes, the choice of which is randomly
performed according to PCPO's long experienced scientific methodology. The
sampling error throughout the survey is found at (+/-3.1%). The percentage
of female respondents was (47.8%) whilst that of the male ones was (52.2%),
and the average age of the respondents was (31.8) years. The distribution of
the random sample among the residential areas of the respondents was (65.4%)
in the West Bank, incl. East Jerusalem, and (34.6%) in Gaza Strip. Dr.
Kukali said that the average size of the respondent families was (7.3)
individuals, and the percentage of married respondents in the sample added
up to (64.3%), while that of the single ones reached (31.1%), and that of
other cases was (4.6%).

Methodology:

A stratified 3-stage cluster random sample of (980) individuals 18 years or
older was selected from the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza
Strip. The first stage involves selecting 60 clusters with populations of
1,000 or more individuals (after stratification by district and type of
community- urban, rural, and refugee camp) with probabilities proportional
to size (PPS). The second stage involves selecting 10 households in each of
the chosen clusters. Stage 3 involves selecting one individual in each
household using Last Birthday Method. Face-to-face interviews are then
conducted with the selected individuals.

Contact Person: Dr. Nabil Kukali
Tel: 02 2774846, Telfax: 02 277 2034
Mobile: 0547 216643 / 059726878
Email: kukali@p-ol.com

Contact Person: Mr. Mohammed Qirsh
Tel: 2400594, Fax: 2400607
Email: peal@palnet.com