Egyptians afraid to express views online, study shows

Support for freedom of speech in Egypt fell significantly since 2013, according to a new survey, the largest of its kind in the Arab world.

The annual survey, titled Media Use in the Middle East and conducted by Northwestern University in Qatar, spans seven Arab countries. It tracked regional media trends and attitudes towards free speech over the past five years.

More than 1,000 people were surveyed in each of Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in face-to-face interviews and by phone. The survey also incorporated the United States, where more than 2,000 respondents were interviewed.

"It's quite a representative survey. It's very scientifically derived," Everette Dennis, the dean of Northwestern University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera, adding that the sample size "is well ahead of what most studies would ever do".

The study found that while in 2013, roughly half (48 percent) of Egyptians said "it is okay for individuals to express their ideas on the internet even if they are unpopular", only 29 percent agreed in 2017.

UCJ, UNILORIN.