During November 19-22, 2019, the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) at Qatar University (QU) surveyed nationally representative samples of Qatari citizens (n = 695) and white-collar residents (n = 721) on the upcoming 24th Arabian Gulf Cup. Responses to a short telephone survey revealed that both Qataris and white-collar expatriates are quite aware of the forthcoming Gulf Cup and are positive about its potential impacts.
The vast majority of Qatar’s citizens and white-collar residents are aware of the participation of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup to be held in Doha, Qatar.
Overall, the vast majority of Qatari nationals (92%) and white-collar expatriates (84%) reported being aware of the upcoming 24th Arabian Gulf Cup, which is being held in Doha, Qatar from November 26 to December 8, 2019. Moreover, 95% of Qatari nationals and 87% of white-collar expatriates are aware of the participation of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the games.
Qatari nationals (82%) and white-collar resident expatriates (94%) in large numbers said that they welcome the participation of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in the 2019 Arabian Gulf Cup.
With regard to whether football fans from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE should be permitted to fly directly to Doha to attend these games, the results differ between Qatari nationals and expatriates. About one quarter (24%) of Qatari nationals think the fans should come directly to Doha, whereas nearly two-thirds (63%) want them to come to Doha indirectly via Kuwait or Oman. By contrast, among white-collar expatriates,a majority (58%) feel that the fans should travel directly to Doha and 25% indirectly through Kuwait or Oman. The remainder of both groups responded that they did not know.
The majority of white-collar expatriates and about half of Qataris think that the participation of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup in Doha is likely to lead to the end of the blockade of Qatar.
Nevertheless, the survey indicates that Qatari nationals and white-collar residents hope that the games will lead to an end of the blockade of Qatar. About half (48%) of Qatari nationals and slightly more than three-quarters (76%) of white-collar expatriates think the participation of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is either very likely (12% of Qataris) or somewhat likely (36% of Qataris) to lead to the end of the blockade. These percentages are significantly higher among white-collar expatriates (at 34% and 42%, respectively). The remainder of both groups were neutral or said they did not know.
In terms of public awareness of the games, the Internet, social media, and the television were most commonly cited by Qataris and expats as their initial source of news about the Gulf Cup.
A total of 1,416 Qatari nationals (695) and white-collar expatriates (721) completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 48.6 percent and a maximum sampling error for a percentage at the 95% confidence level of +/- 3.02 percentage points. The calculation of this sampling error takes into account design effects. The final dataset was weighted to adjust for probability of selection and non-response. SESRI thanks everyone who participated to ensure that public opinion would be fairly represented.