Eight out of Ten Syrians in Secret Survey Say “Assad Must Go” | Business Wire

Eight out of Ten Syrians in Secret Survey Say “Assad Must Go” | Business Wire

clipped from article:

Eight out of ten Syrians surveyed want to see regime change and won’t be satisfied with mere reform, according to analysis by Angela Hawken of Pepperdine University of interviews done for the Democracy Council of California.

“The most surprising thing about these results is that they could be collected in the first place”

That latest “secret survey” results reflect face-to-face interviews with 551 Syrians collected between August 24 and September 2, 2011, despite an official ban on public-opinion gathering. An earlier effort took place in January and February of 2010. “The most surprising thing about these results is that they could be collected in the first place,” according to Hawken, Associate Professor of Economics and Policy Analysis at Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy.

James Prince, President of the Democracy Council and a leading expert on Arab civil society, said, “This survey further illustrates the deep-seated angst felt by most Syrians. The Syrian people do not have confidence in the Assad regime. They no longer want to live in the Baath security state. As in other regional countries, the Syrians are fed up with the corruption, nepotism, and lack of opportunity in Syria. The people are searching for alternatives to Assad.”

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