(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Saudi Arabia are clearly worried about financial hardship, according to a poll by D3 Systems released by Terror Free Tomorrow. 92.9 per cent of respondents believe reducing unemployment and inflation are important priorities for the kingdom.

Addressing the problem of terrorism is second on the list with 88 per cent, followed by providing financial assistance to mosques and madrassas in foreign countries with 81.3 per cent, ensuring a free press and free elections with 79.4 per cent, and defeating al-Qaeda and other Jihadi groups with 60.9 per cent. Only 42.9 per cent of respondents consider permitting women to drive as a key priority.

Saudi Arabia has no political parties. The Consultative Assembly has 90 appointed members who undertake consultative tasks. The kingdom held municipal elections in 2005, but women were not allowed to cast ballots or run as candidates.

Earlier this month, Ali Alyami, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, talked about the current state of affairs in the kingdom, saying, "It is not easy to discuss anything in Saudi Arabia, because of the royal family’s total control over every aspect of the decision-making process and of people’s lives. However, discussing economic reform is less directed to the heart of the problem, which is the lack of freedom due to the stifling, absolute political nature of the system."

Polling Data

Please tell me whether you think these priorities are important for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

Source: D3 Systems / Terror Free Tomorrow
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Saudi Arabian adults, conducted from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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