The resignation of Egypt President Hosni Mubarak after 18 days of protest has changed relatively little in Americans’ views of that country and its likely future. According to the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, Americans still regard Egypt as a friendly country, but worry that establishing a stable democracy there could take a long time.
58% of Americans in the latest poll regard Egypt as a friendly country or as an ally, the same percentage as in last week’s poll. Just 1% say it is unfriendly or an enemy, down a bit from last week’s 18%.
There is hope for the future, but just one in ten Americans believes that Egypt will be able to establish a stable democracy within a year—even though the ruling military has promised free elections in six months. But 36% think Egypt will eventually become a stable democracy, up six points from last week.
However, 29% are dubious that democracy will ever come to Egypt, including a plurality of Republicans. 47% of Republicans (compared with 18% of Democrats) doubt that Egypt will ever become a stable democracy.
Views of President Obama’s handling of the situation remain positive: 46% approve, 28% disapprove, a slight improvement in opinion from last week.
Image source: Flickr (RamyRaoof)
