After the Arab Spring: People Still Want Democracy

The Arab uprisings dramatically changed the political landscape, but what was their effect on support for democracy? The results of public opinion surveys conducted as part of the Arab Barometer suggest relatively little changed. Democracy remains the most preferred political system in the region, but few citizens say they live under a democracy. Yet, what changes the Arab uprisings did bring about in public opinion are not uniform, especially in the countries most affected by these events. Tunisians have become much more concerned about negative effects of democracy while Egyptians attribute poor political outcomes to the Muslim Brotherhood instead of democracy.