A seven-nation survey

The results for Media Use in the Middle East, 2018 by Northwestern University in Qatar are based on more than 7,000 (N=7,635) face-to-face and telephone interviews across seven countries, conducted under direction of The Harris Poll, in conjunction with Pan Arab Research Center (PARC). The survey was conducted among the general population 18 years and older in seven countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the UAE. These seven countries represent a broad spectrum of populations across the Arab region.

The fieldwork for six of the countries in this sixth annual wave of Media Use in the Middle East took place July 10 to October 9, 2018. Bureaucratic hurdles delayed data collection in Egypt, delaying fieldwork in Egypt until December 20 to 30, 2018. Data in all countries were collected via face-to-face interviews, except in Qatar, where telephone interviews were employed via random-digit dialing. Multi-stage random probability sampling was used in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the UAE.

Most questions asked in 2018 are replicated items from prior years of the study, allowing many longitudinal comparisons. These results include expanded attention to entertainment media use- and therefore provide more comparisons with the 2014 and 2016 surveys than with the 2013, 2015, and 2017 iterations, which focus more broadly on news and information use than entertainment specifically.

Some figures in this report do not include Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, as officials in these countries did not permit the fielding of certain questions in some years of Media Use in the Middle East study—Egypt and Jordan in recent years and Qatar only in 2013 and 2015. Excluded items mostly relate to censorship, government, politics, and religion. Additionally, Jordan data are only included for the years it was surveyed, the 2013, 2017, and 2018 editions of the study, not those conducted in the 2014, 2015, and 2016. In all charts that do not include data from Egypt, Jordan, or Qatar, a footnote so reports.

Method

A total of 7,635 respondents participated in the survey with at least 1,000 respondents per country. Fieldwork for all countries except Egypt took place July 10 to October 9, 2018. Fieldwork for Egypt took place December 20 to 30, 2018. Respondents were offered to take the survey in Arabic and English in all countries, and the survey was also offered in French in Lebanon and Tunisia. By respondent preference, interviews were completed in Arabic only in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon.

A summary of completed interviews and response rates for 2013 through 2018 is as follows:

		Country							TOTAL
		Egypt	Jordan	Lebanon	Qatar	Saudi Arabia	Tunisia	UAE	TOTAL
Completed Interviews
2013		1,252	1,250	1,256	1,253	1,252	1,250	1,264	8,777
2014		1,002	-	1,000	1,003	1,009	1,016	1,005	6,035
2015		1,071	-	1,000	1,000	1,005	1,012	1,005	6,093
2016		1,000	-	1,008	1,000	1,017	1,016	1,017	6,058
2017		1,000	1,009	1,018	1,140	1,016	1,000	1,013	7,196
2018		1,060	1,015	1,002	1,185	1,095	1,204	1,074	7,635
Response Rates
2013		92%	75%	70%	54%	81%	21%	70%
2014		48%	-	50%	52%	78%	86%	82%
2015		97%	-	54%	53%	77%	85%	86%
2016		46%	-	49%	44%	77%	89%	70%
2017		79%	58%	49%	37%	76%	87%	73%
2018		72%	79%	48%	58%	74%	33%	58%
Completed Interviews by Nationality
2013	Nationals Non-Nationals	1,252 0	1,044 206	1,232 24	352 901	848 404	1,150 100	313 951
2014	Nationals Non-Nationals	1,002 0	- -	1,000 0	407 596	622 387	906 110	234 771
2015	Nationals Non-Nationals	1,071 0	- -	995 5	280 720	633 372	909 103	250 755
2016	Nationals Non-Nationals	1,000 0	- -	1,008 0	504 496	616 401	913 103	488 529
2017	Nationals Non-Nationals	1,000 0	881 128	1,018 0	508 632	627 389	896 104	481 532
2018	Nationals Non-Nationals	1000 0	953 62	991 11	566 619	629 466	1,100 104	500 574

Survey Design

Interviews lasted, on average, 35 minutes. The total number of questions asked varied based on responses to previous questions. For example, some questions were asked only of internet users or users of specific social media platforms.

Approval of the survey and method were required by governing agencies in Egypt and Jordan, but not the other countries. As a result, a subset of questions was omitted in Egypt and Jordan at the direction of the overseeing government bodies. These exceptions are noted in the report where applicable.

Survey Procedures

The following sections describe the detailed survey method and sampling plan in each of the seven countries. While survey administration and sampling procedures varied somewhat by country, the method was designed to ensure representation of the national adult population in each country. Samples in all countries, except Egypt, include both citizens and resident expatriates. The sample in Egypt includes just citizens, due to the small number of expatriates in this country.

Groups that are not represented in the research include: visitors with no residence permit, farmers, servants, mentally disabled persons, and those in army barracks, hospitals, dormitories, prisons, or labor camps. In Lebanon, residents in areas with heavy Hezbollah presence were also excluded.

Detailed Method: Egypt, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the UAE

Surveys in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the UAE were administered in face-to-face interviews, using multi-stage random probability sampling. This approach was designed to produce samples representative of the population of residents in households in the surveyed areas.

An overall master sample design was applied in these countries. Each country’s governorates or provinces were divided into cities, towns, and villages, which were further divided into administrative units or sectors, and then into clusters, each comprised of several blocks. A block was defined as the PSU (Primary Sampling Unit). In each block, a starting point was randomly selected and interviewers followed a predefined random path though the block.

A constant fraction sampling procedure was implemented. The constant fraction sampling procedure can be defined as “a constant small number of interviews per Primary Sampling Unit (consisting of the number of interviews per man-day from each block) which was assigned at the rate of 8 or 10 full interviews per day.”

The total number of Primary Sampling Units per country, except in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, was 125 (Total Sample: 1000 / 8 interviews per PSU). In Egypt and Saudi Arabia the total number of Primary Sampling Units was 100 (Total Sample: 1000 / 10 interviews per PSU).

In each block, a starting point was randomly selected and a random path defined.
The interviews were conducted at regular intervals (of 4 dwellings) following the randomization as defined below:
- The interviewer was directed to the starting point initially defined by the researcher.
- The interviewer skipped a number of homes equal to the sample interval (4 houses) and conducted one interview in the next selected household.
- The interviewer asked for a list of the household members who were 18 years and olderfrom the eldest to the youngest member and used a random numbers table (or Kish grid) to select the prospective respondent for the interview.
- The counting of households was continuous, uninterrupted starting from the top floor, clockwise in descending order, from one building to the next following the random path indicated in advance, and the researcher carefully documented their passage through the block in a detailed Fieldwork Register.

Method in Qatar

Surveys in Qatar were conducted via telephone interviews. Qatar, with a national population of just 300,000 citizens, has a small number of households, and the government reserves household sampling for its own censuses and other research projects. Potential respondents were sampled from mobile lines sourced by local official directories.

Prior to extracting a sample for the survey, the records were reshuffled to keep all numbers in random sequence within each stratum, and a special extraction program selected phone numbers at regular intervals within the structured list.

A multi-stage random probability selection of telephone numbers from the tele-database thereby yielded a representative sample for the interview.

If the prospective respondent was available and accessible immediately the interview would be conducted right away.
If the prospective respondent was unavailable at the first call, five further attempts would be scheduled by the system to call again at different times when the respondent would likely be available. If this failed, the number would be skipped and another number would be selected at random from the tele-database.

The interviews were conducted in the language preferred by the respondent: Arabic for Arab respondents (as preferred by respondents) and English for non-Arabs.

Data Weighting

Weighting was applied—specifically, rim weighting—in all countries surveyed to bring the data in line with the population in each country. The weighting factors include gender by age, age by nationality, and gender by nationality.

Rim weighting uses a mathematical algorithm to help provide an even distribution of results across the entire dataset while balancing certain characteristics to predetermined totals. It weights the specified characteristics simultaneously and disturbs each variable as little as
possible. The weighting factors used in the countries included:

Egypt: Gender by age, geography
Jordan: Gender by age, geography
Lebanon: Age, geography
Qatar: Gender by age, age by nationality, geography
Saudi Arabia: Gender by age, age by nationality, geography
Tunisia: Age by nationality, geography
UAE: Gender by age, geography

The sampling plans in these countries, developed based on census data, were designed to be representative of these populations by controlling for age, gender, and region/nationality.

While the data within countries was weighted to be representative, the overall sample of 7,635 was not weighted across countries. That is, we do not claim that aggregated data is “representative,” per se, of the Mideast region as a whole. Weighting across countries was not applied due to the variable population sizes across the participating countries.

Margin of Sampling Error

The descriptions below show the margin of sampling error based on all interviews conducted in each country, supporting a 95% confidence level. For reported proportions based on the full sample in a given country, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus the margin of error.

Total Sample

Sample size: 7,635

Gender split: 52% male, 48% female

Mean age: 35 years old

Margin of Sampling Error: +/- 1.2 percentage points

Egypt

Sample design: Multi-stage random probability sampling procedure

Mode: Face-to-face, adults 18 plus years old

Languages: Arabic

Fieldwork dates: December 20 to December 30, 2018

Sample size: 1,060

Gender split: 50% male, 50% female

Mean age: 36 years old

Margin of sampling error: +/- 3.1 percentage points

Representative: Adult population, less visitors with no residence permit, farmers, servants, the mentally disabled, and those in labor camps

Jordan

Sample design: Multi-stage random probability sampling procedure

Mode: Face-to-face, adults 18 plus years old

Languages: Arabic

Fieldwork dates: September 24 to October 9, 2018

Sample size: 1,005

Gender split: 50% male, 50% female

Mean age: 35 years old

Margin of sampling error: +/- 3.2 percentage points

Representative: Adult population, less visitors with no residence permit, farmers, servants, the mentally disabled, and those in labor camps

Lebanon

Sample design: Multi-stage random probability sampling procedure

Mode: Face-to-face, adults 18 plus years old

Languages: Arabic

Fieldwork dates: July 10 to August 13, 2018

Sample size: 1,002

Gender split: 50% male, 50% female

Mean age: 37 years old

Margin of sampling error: +/- 3.2 percentage points

Representative: Adult populations, less visitors with no residence permit, farmers, servants, the mentally disabled, and those in labor camps, and potential respondents in areas with heavy Hezbollah presence

Qatar

Sample design: Randomized sample within the household using a constant fraction sampling procedure

Mode: Telephone, adults 18 plus years old

Languages: Arabic, English

Fieldwork dates: August 1 to September 4, 2018

Sample size: 1,185

Gender split: 56% male, 44% female

Mean age: 34 years old

Margin of sampling error: +/- 3.4 percentage points

Representative: Adult population, less those in army barracks, hospitals, dormitories, and prisons

Saudi Arabia

Sample design: Multi-stage random probability sampling procedure

Mode: Face-to-face, adults 18 plus years old

Languages: Arabic, English

Fieldwork dates: July 20 to September 20, 2018

Sample size: 1,095

Gender split: 53% male, 47% female

Mean age: 34 years old

Margin of sampling error: +/- 3.1 percentage points

Representative: Adult populations, less visitors with no residence permit, farmers, servants, the mentally disabled, and those in labor camps

Tunisia

Sample design: Multi-stage random probability sampling procedure

Mode: Face-to-face, adults 18 plus years old

Languages: Arabic, French, English

Fieldwork dates: August 8 to September 5, 2018

Sample size: 1,204

Gender split: 51% male, 49% female

Mean age: 37 years old

Margin of sampling error: +/- 3.0 percentage points

Representative: Adult populations, less visitors with no residence permit, farmers, servants, the mentally disabled, and those in labor camps

United Arab Emirates

Sample design: Multi-stage random probability sampling procedure

Mode: Face-to-face, adults 18 plus years old

Languages: Arabic, English

Fieldwork dates: July 14 to August 6, 2018

Sample size: 1,074

Gender split: 53% male, 47% female

Mean age: 33.5 years old

Margin of sampling error: +/- 3.4 percentage points

Representative: Adult populations, less visitors with no residence permit, farmers, servants, the mentally disabled, and those in labor camps

Margin of sampling error = 1.96* sqrt ((50%*(1-50%)/n)). Reported margins of sampling error account for data weighting.

Detailed Country Sampling Plans

The sample distribution for each country by geographic area is below.

Egypt Sampling Plan

This representative sample was generated by following the sample frame reported by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in their “Egypt Census 2006”.

Governorate	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Cairo	22.3	261
Alexandria	12.5	100
Garbia	9.2	100
Sharkia	11.4	121
Dakahlya	11.2	119
Ismaillia	1.9	20
Giza	14.4	172
Menia	9.1	89
Fayoum	5.0	49
Aswan	3.0	29
TOTAL	100	1,060

Age	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
18-24	23.6	246
25-34	26.7	279
35-44	22.3	222
45+	27.4	313
TOTAL	100	1,060

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	50	520
Female	50	540
TOTAL	100	1,060

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	50	520
Female	50	540
TOTAL	100	1,060

Jordan Sampling Plan

Governorate	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Amman	39.0	402
Zarqa'a	15.0	151
Balqa'a	7.0	69
Madba'a	2.2	22
Irbid	18.0	180
Mafraq	4.5	49
Jerash	3.1	30
Ajloun	1.8	20
Karak	3.8	40
Tafilah	1.0	11
Ma'an	2.3	20
Aqaba	2.3	21
TOTAL	100	1,015

Age	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
18-24	30	224
25-34	28	247
35-44	19	235
45 and above	23	309
TOTAL	100	1,015

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	50	489
Female	50	526
TOTAL	100	1,015

Lebanon Sampling Plan

Governorate	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Beirut	14.0	221
Mount Lebanon	35.6	266
North	20.2	203
Beqaa	13.0	134
South	10.2	110
Nabatieh	7.0	68
TOTAL	100	1,002

Age	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
18-24	25	235
25-34	24	236
35-44	22	216
45+	29	315
TOTAL	100	1,002

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	50	494
Female	50	508
TOTAL	100	1,002

Note: Sample exclusions included areas with heavy Hezbollah presence (Bent Jbeil located in Nabatieh and Baalbek located in Beqaa).

Qatar Sampling Plan

This representative sample was generated by following the sample frame reported by the Qatar Statistics Authority in their census published in 2010.

City	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Doha	52.0	523
Rayyan	27.0	316
Al Wakra	12.0	157
Umm Slal	3.2	68
Al Khor	2.5	53
Al Shamal	2.6	56
Al Daayen	0.8	12
TOTAL	100	1,185

Age	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
18-24	18.0	192
25-34	38.1	401
35-44	26.3	353
45-54	12.9	180
55+	4.7	59
TOTAL	100	1,185

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	56.1	732
Female	43.9	453
TOTAL	100	1,185

Nationality	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Qatari Nationals	24.0	566
Arab Expatriates	35.7	273
Asian Expatriates	27.9	236
Western Expatriates	12.4	110
TOTAL	100	1,185

Saudi Arabia Sampling Plan

This representative sample was generated by following the sample frame reported by the Central Department of Statistics & Information published in 2007.

Governorate	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Riyad	27.0	353
Mekka	10.0	92
Al Madina	8.0	72
Hail	3.0	22
Jeddah	22.7	220
Taif	4.4	40
Dammam\Khobar	16.0	199
Abha\Khamis\Masheet	9.0	97
TOTAL	100	1,095

Age	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
18-19	7.6	69
20-24	16.1	150
25-29	18.7	162
30-34	16.5	178
35-39	13.5	176
40-44	10.0	114
45-49	6.9	103
50-54	4.1	57
55+	6.6	86
TOTAL	100	1,095

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	53.2	584
Female	46.8	511
TOTAL	100	1,095

Nationality	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Saudi Nationals	68.0	629
Arab Expatriates	13.9	203
Asian Expatriates	11.7	163
Western Expatriates	6.5	100
TOTAL	100	1,095

Tunisia Sampling Plan

This representative sample was generated by following the sample frame reported by the “General Census of the Population and Housing” published April 28, 2004.

Governorate	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Tunis	22.8	241
Ariana	9.3	103
Ben Arous	10.5	281
Manouba	8.2	87
Bizerte	13.7	148
Sfax	22.6	221
Sousse	12.9	123
TOTAL	100	1,204

Age	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
18-24	21.3	288
25-34	26.0	327
35-44	22.6	246
45-54	19.3	204
55+	10.7	139
TOTAL	100	1,204

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	51	670
Female	49	534
TOTAL	100	1,204

Nationality	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Tunis	95	1,100
Expatriates	5	104
TOTAL	100	1,204

United Arab Emirates Sampling Plan

This representative sample was generated by following the sample frame reported by the UAE 2005 Census.

Governorate	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Abu dhabi/Al ain	39.5	474
Dubai	29.5	299
Sharjah	17.3	149
Ajman	5.3	60
Ras Al Khaimah	4.2	49
Umm Al Quwain	1.9	20
Fujeirah	2.4	23
TOTAL	100	1,074

Age	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
18-19	5.2	78
20-24	12.6	162
25-29	19.6	211
30-34	19.1	197
35-39	17.2	173
40-44	13.3	121
45-49	7.2	68
50-54	3.9	41
55+	1.9	23
TOTAL	100	1,074

Gender	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Male	53.2	563
Female	46.8	511
TOTAL	100	1,074

Nationality	Weighted %	Unweighted Count
Emirati Nationals	22.0	500
Arab Expatriates	30.0	191
Asian Expatriates	35.1	280
Western Expatriates	12.9	103
TOTAL	100	1,074

Data Collection Vendors

The Harris Poll partnered with the Pan Arab Research (PARC) to administer interviews.

Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. We work with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible.

Pan Arab Research Center

Pan Arab Research Center (PARC) is a well-established and qualified research and information system house based in the Arabian Peninsula, with its Regional Center located in Dubai. In addition, PARC operates through a network of full-fledged independent branch offices in each of the following countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Sultanate of Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen.

PARC was founded in 1976. Born in the Arab World, For the Arab World; PARC is a multi-faceted company with a wide variety of interests. It is an incessant contributor in all areas of marketing, providing timely and accurate information about specific / general marketing problems, building on past experience, introspecting the present situation, and anticipating the probable future, to offer data, advice and consultancy services that marketing managers can use to make sound decisions.

Our team is comprised of more than 400 full time staff (research executives, analysts, programmers, translators and marketers) working together with a large pool of data entry operators, interviewers and field supervisors.

PARC's team comes together as a professional research body through training and experience of the members who share the same vision and goals. Our dedication and professionalism makes it possible to pursue our objectives and continue our growth.

PARC has developed capabilities and methods in handling large-scale multi-market media and consumer research, and a specialist line for Qualitative Research.