NSF And 9/11 >> Surveying Foreign Populations
Several NSF-funded surveys extended beyond the United States. In a study of Egypt, Monsoor Moaddel of Eastern Michigan University and his colleagues surveyed Egyptian attitudes and values before and after Sept. 11. Their results indicated increasing concern about “Western cultural invasion,” but more favorable views towards democracy.
When asked if the Western cultural invasion was a very serious problem, 63 percent of Egyptian respondents said yes before Sept. 11; 71 percent said yes after Sept. 11. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who strongly agreed that democracy is better than any other system also increased—from 56 percent before Sept. 11 to 69 percent after Sept. 11.
The researchers also found similar changes in Morocco, where “before” and “after” Sept. 11 survey data are also available. On the issues of religion, politics, and gender relations, Moroccans (like Egyptians) became more favorable toward gender equality and democracy, but less favorable toward the involvement of religion in politics.
As the war in Iraq unfolded, the researchers continued to collect data from the Middle East, ranging from studies of pessimism among the various Iraqi ethnic groups to the religious practices of different nations.
For example, in Iraq, 77 percent of Sunnis surveyed in 2005 responded that “these days, life is unpredictable and dangerous in Iraq” – compared with 41 percent for Shi’as and 17 percent for Kurds. Regarding religious practices, a survey showed that only 27 percent of Iranians participated in religious services once a week (the same as for Saudi Arabians) compared to 33 percent for Iraqis, 42 percent for Egyptians, 44 percent for Jordanians and 45 percent for respondents in the United States.
A study of Russian views also showed strong opinions following Sept. 11, notably about the war in Afghanistan. John O'Loughlin of the University of Colorado-Boulder, Gerard Toal of Virginia Tech University and Vladimir Kolossov of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow found that, in April 2002, the Russian population was almost evenly split between those who thought the fight against the Taliban was correct and those who thought it was incorrect. However, Russian Muslims were far more likely to see the war as incorrect.
In a related finding, Russians surveyed also thought that U.S. efforts to form an alliance with Russia and expand the war on terror in central Asia were efforts to advance American interests and influence in the area—at Russia’s expense.
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