In a survey by the BCSR on the recent crisis in Lebanon, 34% of those questioned believed that the political situation would not change in the short term, and 73% believed that the efforts of the Arab League were not effective.

In a survey by the BCSR on the crisis in Lebanon, 30% of those polled blamed the subservience of political groups to foreign parties as the cause of the recent conflict in Lebanon; 27% of those polled believed that the crisis was due to deep conflicts in the Lebanese political system, while 25% believed that the struggle for influence and interest was the major reason for the conflict.

The survey covered various segments of Bahraini society, including:  members of the legislative authority (Shura and Parliament), members of political societies, researchers, academics, journalists, lawyers and business people.  When the survey was prepared it was expected that those surveyed would be acquainted with or have background knowledge of the Lebanese political situation and that this would give the survey results credibility.

On mechanisms for resolving the crisis, 52% felt that peaceful means were the most useful, while 29% saw a solution through constitutional amendment to ensure representation of the interests of all political forces and equal opportunities for citizens. 11% preferred to preserve the current constitution, while 9% preferred the use of force to resolve the crisis.

73% of respondents believed that the efforts of the Arab League were negative or non-effective, as there was no progress from their side with regard to the resolution of the conflict.  On the Doha Agreement, 53% believed that there would be an agreement on the sharing of political power in a national unity government, while 42% believed that there would be an agreement on electoral law, and 4% believed that the Hezbollah weapons issue could be solved. 

While the expectations of those surveyed coincided with the resolution reached at the Doha Agreement, several respondents had reservations about the effectiveness of those solutions and their applicability on the ground, and on the possibility of implementing them within one month.  34% believed that the political situation in Lebanon would not change in the short term, while 29% believed in the possibility of consensus among the contesting parties. On the other hand, 17% of respondents believed that the political situation would be stable in one month.

237 people were surveyed, of which 76% were men and 24% were women, with ages ranging from 21 to 65 years.  Of those surveyed 32% were university graduates, 24% held Master's degrees and 6% were Ph.D. holders.  The survey was undertaken by Dr. Mohamed Al Rumaidh, Mr. Abdul Nabi Alekry and Mr. Ziad Saleh from the BCSR. Further background information on the Lebanese crisis can be found with this survey report in the Arabic section of the BCSR website.