Cygnal's Pulse Pod: LIVE from Dubai, New Data Shows Middle Easterners WAY More Positive About the U.S. Than Americans - Join us for this special episode of Cygnal's Pulse Pod as we dive into our recent poll in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar) presented by Pollsters Brent Buchanan and Alex Tarascio. This survey breaks down interesting views on international affairs and optimism about the direction of America among other key issues.

A Couple Episode Highlights:

Global Direction: generally speaking, 59 percent of respondents said things in the world are getting better versus 35 percent who said they’re getting worse. Contrast this with the United States where 64 percent said things were getting worse versus 27 percent saying things are on the upswing. 

Trump Image: Middle Easterners who have no opinion (13%) of Trump offset his unfavorable image (36%) while his favorable image (48%) is one point higher than Americans’ (47%). 


Effectiveness of NGOs? Middle Easterners, who have arguably had more interaction with international NGOs than American voters, are more likely to believe these organizations are effective in addressing global challenges (57% say NGOs are effective). In contrast, American voters, who have contributed more financially to NGOs, are more skeptical, with a plurality (43%) saying NGOs are ineffective.  

Global Images: 

• United States: among Americans (71% fav.; 26% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (55% fav.; 32% unfav.) 

• Russia: among Americans (11% fav.; 79% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (54% fav.; 30% unfav.) 

• China: among Americans (13% fav.; 75% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (69% fav.; 19% unfav.) 

• Iran: among Americans (7% fav.; 75% unfav.), among Middle Easterners (32% fav.; 48% unfav.) 

Brent Buchanan X - @brentbuc
Alex Tarascio X - @alextarascio