• The Economist poll from early March shows that the majority of Syrians approve of the new Syrian ruler and have a positive outlook on the country.
• More than 80% believe there has been a positive change in freedom, with 60% believing safety has increased.
A survey done on behalf of The Economist in March has shown that a staggering 81% of Syrians approve of Syrian president Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s rule.
The survey polled 1500 Syrians from across the country’s provinces and sectarian groups and found that more than 60% feel his new order is safer, freer and less sectarian than the deposed and dismantled brutal Assad regime.
About 70% are optimistic about the overall direction of the country; however, when it came to the economy, the public were less happy, with less than 50% having a positive view of the economy.
Mohammed Shikh Aiyob, the director of Middle East Consulting Solutions, which conducted the poll, said: “The interim administration should consider this optimism as borrowed, not bought.
“Preventing it from fading demands meaningful progress on the economy, national dialogue and transitional justice.”
When it came to how to deal with Israeli expansion into Syria, the majority of Syrians, although they had an opposing view, had preferred dialogue rather than military confrontation.
The appetite for another war is unpopular in Syria, with only 10% of Syrians wanting an armed struggle against Israel, with two-thirds favouring diplomatic tools to counter Israel instead.
The incident comes after Israel illegally seized hundreds of square kilometres of Syrian territory beyond the land of its illegal occupation of the Golan Heights and carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory.
