Censorship- Does it make a mockery of the arts?

Date7TH JUNE 2012Polling dates30TH MAY- 3RD JUNE 2012

METHODOLOGY

Methodology

The research was conducted using YouGov’s regional online panel of 235,000+ respondents. Respondents from across the region (Arab world) were invited to participate in the survey.

A total of 1,013 respondents completed the 5-7 minute survey.

Fieldwork was conducted from the 30th of May to 3rd of June 2012.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Respondent demographics

47%

35%

18%

AGE

Below 3030 to 40Above 40

55%23%

22%

REGION

GCCNorth AfricaLevant

49%

17%

13%21%

MONTHLY HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Below $1,066

$1,066 to $2,665

$2,666 & Above

Prefer not to say / DK

67%33%

GENDER

MaleFemale

Total Base= 1,013

As per the quotas, approximately half the sample comprised of GCC residents (55%), with one-quarter coming from North Africa (23%) and the Levant (22%), respectively. As illustrated below, the vast majority of the sample (82%) were aged 40 years or below. Two-thirds (67%) of respondents were male

Regional breakdownCountries of residence

11%78%

71%13%

7%2% 1%

3%

55% 18%10%

KSA UAE KUW YEMBAH QAT

EGY MOR TUN

JORSYR LEB

GCC Total= 562

N. AFRICATotal= 231

LEVANTTotal= 220

5%

IRQ

12%

PAL

ALG

4%

Total Base= 1,013

3%

OMN

3%

LIB

3%

As shown below, the largest proportion of the sample came from KSA (N=397), Egypt (N=181) and Syria (N=120)

1%

MRT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Executive summary (1/2)

60% of respondents across the Arab world do not think state censorship makes a mockery of the arts.

Those in the GCC were the highest in opposing the motion

In the Levant opinion was largely divided

Among those surveyed across the region, the fact that it is ‘against freedom of expression’ emerged as the main reason why they felt state censorship makes a mockery of the arts. Many were also concerned it ‘blocks the message(s) the artist is trying to convey’, that ‘each member of the society should be able to decide on his/her own what they want to be exposed to rather than having it dictated by the state’) and that ‘censorship is just another concept invented by those in power to control the masses’.

On the other hand, those respondents who do not believe censorship makes a mockery of the arts believe state ‘intervention’ is required as ‘art can be indecent and needs to be censored before being shown to the general public’ and ‘to protect religious beliefs’. Just under half of those surveyed across the region also believed censorship helps maintain ‘order’ within the society.

According to respondents across the region, censorship should be most applied on Internet websites, music videos and the cinema

Very few believed censorship should not be applied at all (10% across of overall sample).

Executive summary (2/2)

The vast majority of respondents across the region believe ‘nudity’ and ‘offensive language’ should be censored.

In general, respondents would place most trust on ‘well-respected members of the society’ to decide what should and should not be censored. This was followed by ‘leading intellectuals of the country’ and ‘religious leaders’. Political leaders are not trusted to make these kinds of decisions.

In-line with their initial response to the motion (i.e. supporting state censorship on arts), the largest proportion of respondents believed that classes in modern art taught in universities in the Arab world should also be censored.

Although opinion was divided, when asked about the likely impact of the rise of the Internet in the region on censorship, a larger proportion of respondents were more inclined to believe it would decrease the level of censorship.

In terms of the ‘merit’ of ‘blacking out female flesh in Western magazines’, respondents were somewhat divided in their opinions on whether this is a ‘ridiculous’ thing to do or something which should be done. However, respondents seemed to be more ‘tolerant’ about movies with a larger proportion of them saying they feel frustrated when some scenes are cut from foreign movies due to censorship.

Overall, the majority of respondents believe that despite all efforts censorship will not be able to block the power of arts because ideas and beliefs survive in our imagination.

POLL RESULTS

Over half the respondents surveyed do not believe censorship makes a

mockery of the arts

In your opinion, does state censorship make a mockery of the arts?

60% of respondents across the Arab world do not think state censorship makes a mockery of the arts. Perhaps due to the more conservative culture in these countries, those in the GCC were the highest in opposing the motion with 2 in every 3 respondents (66%) believing state censorship does not make a mockery of the arts

In the Levant opinion was largely divided (51% saying ‘Yes’ vs. 49% saying ‘No’)

Total GCC North Africa Levant

40%34%

43%51%

60%66%

57%49%

Yes No Total Base= 1,013GCC= 562North Africa= 231Levant = 220

Total GCC North Africa Levant

55% 56%50%

60%

43%38%

53%

43%41% 42%

37%41%40% 37% 35%

48%

35%35%

38%

30%

20% 22%

13%

23%

16% 14% 14%

21%

2% 1%4%

1%

It is against freedom of expressionIt blocks the message(s) the artist is trying to conveyEach member of the society should be able to decide on his/her own what they want to be exposed to rather than having this ‘dictated’ by the stateCensorship is just another concept ‘invented’ by those in power to ‘control’ the massesArt is about pushing the boundaries/taking people out of their ‘comfort zone’, which cannot happen in the face of censorshipIt is a form of repressionIt is a sign of backward thinkingOther

Why does censorship make a mockery of the arts?

Why do you think state censorship makes a mockery of the arts? (Please select the TOP 3 reasons for your opinion)

Among those surveyed across the region, the fact that it is ‘against freedom of expression’ (55%) emerged as the main reason why they felt state censorship makes a mockery of the arts. Many were also concerned it ‘blocks the message(s) the artist is trying to convey’ (43%), that ‘each member of the society should be able to decide on his/her own what they want to be exposed to rather than having it dictated by the state’) (41%) and that ‘censorship is just another concept invented by those in power to control the masses’ (40%)

Relatively speaking, respondents from the Levant were most likely to believe ‘censorship is just another concept invented by those in power to control the masses’ (48%)

Those who believe it makes mockery of the

arts= 402

Total GCC North Africa Levant

59% 57%60%

64%

58%60%

50%

61%

45% 43%50%

45%40%

45%

29%

36%33% 31% 30%

40%

17% 16% 18%22%

1% 1% 0% 2%

Art can be ‘indecent’ and needs to be censored before being shown to the general publicCensorship is needed to protect religious beliefsCensorship helps maintain ‘order’ within societyArab youth need to be ‘protected’ from such Liberal/Western thinking and attitudesRespect for ‘local context’ and ‘cultural sensitivities’ must come above ‘freedom of expression’Censorship is important to protect artists, who could be the target of attacks by those who oppose their ideasOther

Why does censorship NOT make a mockery of the arts?

Why do you think state censorship does NOT make a mockery of the arts? (Please select the TOP 3 reasons for your opinion)

Those respondents who do not believe censorship makes a mockery of the arts believe state ‘intervention’ is required as ‘art can be indecent and needs to be censored before being shown to the general public’ (59%) and ‘to protect religious beliefs’ (58%). Just under half of those surveyed across the region (45%) also believed censorship helps maintain ‘order’ within the society (45%)

Those who believe it does NOT make mockery of the

arts= 611

Total GCC North Africa Levant

58%61%

52%58%

55%57%

51%52%

49% 50%52%

45%40%

42%37% 40%

37%40%

35%32%34%

37%32%

29%28%34%

16%

25%23%28%

14%18%19%

23%

14% 15%18%

23%

16%10%

16%19%

10%14%

11%14%

7% 8%10%7%

11%17%

Internet websites Music videos Cinema International TV channels Arabic TV channels

Music (words/ lyrics) Lifestyle magazines Books Paintings/ sculptures Newspapers

Cartoons/ caricatures Radio None

Which ‘media’ should be censored?By region

In which of the following, if any, do you believe censorship should be applied? (Please select all that apply)

According to respondents across the region, censorship should be most applied on Internet websites (58%), music videos (55%) and the cinema (49%)

Very few believed censorship should not be applied at all (10% across of overall sample). Those surveyed in the Levant were most likely to express this view (17%)

Total Base= 1,013

Censorship makes mockery of the arts Censorship does NOT make mockery of the arts

41%

70%

37%

67%

26%

64%

23%

52%

18%

50%

20%

43%

16%

36%

9%

32%

9%

25%

9%

25%

8%

21%

4%

16%

24%

1%

Internet websites Music videos Cinema International TV channels Arabic TV channels Music (words/ lyrics)Lifestyle magazines Books Paintings/ sculptures Newspapers Cartoons/ caricatures RadioNone

Which ‘media’ should be censored?By opinion group

In which of the following, if any, do you believe censorship should be applied? (Please select all that apply)

As would have been expected, those who believe censorship makes a mockery of the arts are most likely to believe censorship should not be applied to any of the channels listed (24%). However, it is interesting to note that many respondents in this group still believed censorship has a role to play – especially on Internet websites (41%), music videos (37%) and the cinema (26%)

Total Base= 1,013

Total GCC North Africa Levant

81% 81% 79% 79%

71% 71% 71% 71%

55% 56% 52% 52%54% 53% 54% 54%

32%35%

28% 28%

23%25% 22% 22%19% 22%

17% 17%12% 14%

10% 10%10% 12%8% 8%10% 11% 10% 10%

3% 2% 3% 3%

Nudity Offensive language Extremist views Graphic imagery (e.g. violence, blood, etc)

Religion Inflammatory speeches/materials Education International politics

Local/national politics Regional politics (of the Arab world) None of these

And what should be censored?By region

What topic(s), if any, do you think should be censored? (Please select all that apply)

The vast majority of respondents across the region believe ‘nudity’ and ‘offensive language’ should be censored (81% and 71%, respectively). This opinion is largely consistent across all regions surveyed

Total Base= 1,013

Censorship makes mockery of the arts Censorship does NOT make mockery of the arts

73%

86%

66%74%

48%

60%

46%

60%

22%

39%

12%

30%

10%

24%

8%15%

5%14%

8% 11%6%

0%

Nudity Offensive language Extremist views Graphic imagery (e.g. violence, blood, etc)Religion Inflammatory speeches/materials Education International politicsLocal/national politics Regional politics (of the Arab world) None of these

And what should be censored? By opinion group

What topic(s), if any, do you think should be censored? (Please select all that apply)

As illustrated above, even those respondents who felt censorship makes mockery of the arts still see a need for censoring nudity and offensive language (73% and 66%, respectively). This feeling was even more accentuated among those who feel censorship does not make a mockery of the arts

Total Base= 1,013

Total GCC North Africa Levant Censorship makes mockery of the

arts

Censorship does NOT make

mockery of the arts

30% 30% 31%29%

32%29%

23%19%

26%

31%29%

20%19%21%

17%15%

15%

21%

7% 7% 8%5% 5%

8%8%9%

6%

10%8% 8%

13%14%

12%10% 11%

14%

Well-respected members of society Leading intellectuals of the country Religious leaders Political leaders Other

Don’t know/Prefer not to say

Who should decide what is censored?

If censorship is to take place in society, who, in your opinion, is best placed to decide what should and should not be censored? (Please select one only)

In general, respondents would place most trust on ‘well-respected members of the society’ to decide what should and should not be censored (30%). This was followed by ‘leading intellectuals of the country’ (23%) and ‘religious leaders’ (19%). Political leaders are not trusted to make these kinds of decisions (7%).

Across the regions surveyed, relatively speaking those in the GCC (mostly KSA) were most likely to support ‘religious leaders’ as censors of information (21% vs. 17% in NA and 15% in Levant), while those in the Levant were most likely to favour ‘leading intellectuals’ (31% vs. 19% in KSA).

Total Base= 1,013

Modern art classes at universities in the Arab world should also be censored

Many universities in the Arab world have introduced classes in modern art. In your opinion, should these classes still be censored?

In-line with their initial response to the motion (i.e. supporting state censorship on arts), the largest proportion of respondents (46%) believed that classes in modern art taught in universities in the Arab world should also be censored. This was highest in the GCC (51%) and lowest in the Levant with the largest proportion of respondents there being in fact against censoring in modern art classes (42% said ‘No’).

Those who believe censorship makes a mockery of the arts were also against censoring modern art classes in universities in the Arab world (54% said ‘No’).

Total GCC North Africa Levant Makes a mockery of

the arts

Does NOT make a mockery of the

arts

46% 51% 45% 35% 25%

61%

32% 26% 37%42% 54%

17%

22% 23% 18% 23% 21% 22%

Don't know/ not sureNoYes

Total Base= 1,013

Levant

North Africa

GCC

Total

21%

19%

21%

21%

17%

18%

16%

17%

32%

25%

28%

28%

19%

23%

13%

16%

11%

16%

22%

18%

It will increase the level of censorship It will not affect the level of censorship It will decrease the level of censorshipIt will end censorship all together Don’t know/Not sure

The rise of the Internet & censorship – What impact?

In your opinion, how will the rise of the Internet across the region affect censorship, if at all? (Please select one only)

Although opinion was divided, when asked about the likely impact of the rise of the Internet in the region on censorship, a larger proportion of respondents were more inclined to believe it would decrease the level of censorship (28% said it would decrease and 16% said it would end all together – across overall sample).

Total Base= 1,013

Censorship will not be able to block the power of arts, because ideas and beliefs survive in our imagination

I feel frustrated when some scenes are cut from foreign movies due to censorship

‘Blacking out’ female flesh, especially in Western magazines, is ridiculous and should not be done

30%

28%

26%

24%

20%

17%

17%

11%

10%

10%

9%

9%

13%

28%

32%

7%

4%

5%

Strongly agree Somewhat agree Neither agree nor disagree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know/ Prefer not to say

A society’s perspective on censorship

How strongly do you agree/disagree with each of the following statements regarding censorship?

In terms of the ‘merit’ of ‘blacking out female flesh in Western magazines’, respondents were somewhat divided in their opinions on whether this is a ‘ridiculous’ thing to do (43%) or something which should be done (41%). However, respondents seemed to be more ‘tolerant’ about movies with a larger proportion of them (48%) saying they feel frustrated when some scenes are cut from foreign movies due to censorship (vs. 37% who disagree).

Overall, the majority of respondents (54%) believe that despite all efforts censorship will not be able to block the power of arts because ideas and beliefs survive in our imagination (vs. 23% who disagree).

Total Base= 1,013

THANK YOU!