Survey: Saudi Leaders Gain Higher Approval Than Iranian Counterparts in Muslim Nations

The American polling institute, Gallup, surveyed citizens of the following 13 predominantly Muslim countries: Kuwait, Libya, Jordan, Pakistan, Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Yemen, the Palestinian Territories and Turkey, on their perceptions of Saudi and Iranian leaders. It emerges that the median approval of Saudi leaders in 2022 is much higher than that of Iranian leaders (39% vs. 14%, respectively).

More than a quarter of the population in 12 countries have a negative perception of Iran, making Iranian leaders deeply unpopular. Only Pakistan, which has the second largest Shiite population in the world after Iran, approves of Iranian leaders, at 50% (versus 83% for Saudi Arabia). The countries where Tehran exerts the greatest influence are also those where public opinion perception is the weakest, with a large majority disapproving of Iranian leaders in Iraq (86%), Yemen (80%) and Lebanon (73%), the study reveals.

"In addition to being the world’s largest oil producer, Saudi Arabia remains the guardian of the two holy mosques and is seen as the leader of the Muslim world," Gallup said.