The Middle East Scholar Barometer is a project of the University of Maryland's Critical Issues Poll and George Washington University's Project on Middle East Political Science, led by Professor Shibley Telhami and Professor Marc Lynch. It aims to probe the assessments of scholars of the Middle East, particularly members of the American Political Science Association specializing on the Middle East and North Africa and members of Middle East Studies Association, on critical issues of the day. The project was initiated in early 2021 with the first poll conducted in February of that year. It fields two polls a year on timely issues that engage the public discourse.
Lisa Anderson
Special Lecturer and James T. Shotwell Professor Emerita of International Relations at Columbia University
Amaney Jamal
Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politic
Mark Tessler
Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan
Middle East Scholar Barometer #7 (May 23-June 6, 2024)
Survey Methodology: This survey was carried out May 23 - June 6, 2024 online using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform. The poll was distributed to 3,076 recipients resulting in 758 responses. Recipients included those who are members of the Middle East and North Africa section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), as well as members of the American Historical Association (AHA) who specialized in the Middle East, and other relevant contacts of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) at George Washington University. The poll was conducted using an anonymous link sent out via email, which did not collect any identifiable information about the respondents. The poll was designed using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform, which generated the anonymous link that was sent out, and the data from the responses were also collected on this platform. The questions, some of which were repeat questions from previous polls, were prepared by the two principal investigators in consultation with the academic advisory committee of the Middle East Scholar Barometer.
Articles:
"Middle East Scholars Are Under Pressure: Tensions on campus are real and intense," by Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 14, 2024.
"Gloom about the 'day after' the Gaza war pervasive among Mideast scholars," by Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami, Brookings Institution, June 20, 2024.
Middle East Scholar Barometer #6 (November 10-17, 2023)
Survey Methodology: This survey was carried out November 10-17, 2023, online using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform. The poll was distributed to 3,214 recipients resulting in 936 responses. Recipients included those who are members of the Middle East and North Africa section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), as well as members of the American Historical Association (AHA) who specialized in the Middle East, and other relevant contacts of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) at George Washington University. The poll was conducted using an anonymous link sent out via email, which did not collect any identifiable information about the respondents. The poll was designed using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform, which generated the anonymous link that was sent out, and the data from the responses were also collected on this platform. The questions, some of which were repeat questions from previous polls, were prepared by the two principal investigators in consultation with the academic advisory committee of the Middle East Scholar Barometer.
Articles:
"Scholars Who Study the Middle East Are Afraid to Speak Out: Polling data indicate widespread self-censorship," by Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami, The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 5, 2023.
Project on Middle East Political Science Podcast, December 7, 2023.
Middle East Scholar Barometer #5 (March 27-April 11, 2023)
Survey Methodology: This survey was carried out March 27 – April 11, 2023, online using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform. The poll was distributed to 1,513 recipients resulting in 449 responses. Recipients included those who are members of the Middle East and North Africa section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), as well as members of the American Historical Association (AHA) who specialized in the Middle East, and other relevant contacts of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) at George Washington University. The poll was conducted using an anonymous link sent out via email, which did not collect any identifiable information about the respondents. The poll was designed using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform, which generated the anonymous link that was sent out, and the data from the responses were also collected on this platform. The questions, some of which were repeat questions from previous polls, were prepared by the two principal investigators in consultation with the academic advisory committee of the Middle East Scholar Barometer.
Articles:
"Is the two state solution dead? Will Israeli or Iranian protests succeed? And other questions," Abu Aardvark's MENA Academy, May 1, 2023.
Middle East Scholar Barometer #4 (October 25 - November 8, 2022)
Survey Methodology: This survey was carried out October 25 - November 8, 2022, online using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform. The poll was distributed to 1584 recipients resulting in 513 responses. Recipients included those who are members of the Middle East and North Africa section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), as well as members of the American Historical Association (AHA) who specialized in the Middle East, and other relevant contacts of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) at George Washington University. The poll was conducted using an anonymous link sent out via email, which did not collect any identifiable information about the respondents. The poll was designed using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform, which generated the anonymous link that was sent out, and the data from the responses were also collected on this platform. The questions, some of which were repeat questions from previous polls, were prepared by the two principal investigators in consultation with the academic advisory committee of the Middle East Scholar Barometer.
Articles:
"What Middle East scholars really think about boycotting Israel," Washington Post Monkey Cage, November 22, 2022
"Boycott Israel? Hold workshops in Egypt?" Marc Lynch, November 22, 2022.
"COVID's generational impact on MENA scholars" Marc Lynch, November 13, 2022.
Middle East Scholar Barometer #3 (March 14-28, 2022)
Survey Methodology: This survey was carried out March 14-28, 2022, online using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform. The poll was distributed to 1729 recipients resulting in 594 responses. Recipients included those who are members of the Middle East and North Africa section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), as well as members of the American Historical Association (AHA) who specialized in the Middle East, and other relevant contacts of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) at George Washington University. The poll was conducted using an anonymous link sent out via email, which did not collect any identifiable information about the respondents. The poll was designed using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform, which generated the anonymous link that was sent out, and the data from the responses were also collected on this platform. The questions, some of which were repeat questions from previous polls, were prepared by the two principal investigators in consultation with the academic advisory committee of the Middle East Scholar Barometer.
Articles:
"Ukraine war has side effects on Middle East geopolitics," Washington Post Monkey Cage, April 11, 2022
Middle East Scholar Barometer #2 (August 26-September 9, 2021)
Survey Methodology: This survey was carried out August 26-September 09, 2021, online using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform. The poll was distributed to 1290 recipients resulting in 557 responses. Recipients included those who are members of the Middle East and North Africa section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), and other relevant contacts of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) at George Washington University. The poll was conducted using an anonymous link sent out via email, which did not collect any identifiable information about the respondents. The poll was designed using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform, which generated the anonymous link that was sent out, and the data from the responses were also collected on this platform.
Articles:
"Academic experts believe that Middle East politics are actually getting worse," Washington Post Monkey Cage, September 17, 2021
(Cross-posted here: "Academic experts believe that Middle East politics are actually getting worse," Brookings Institution Order from Chaos, September 20, 2021).
"Op/ed: New Accords Didn’t Improve Middle East Relations," Maryland Today, September 20, 2021.
Middle East Scholar Barometer #1 (February 8-15, 2021)
Survey Methodology: This survey was carried out February 8-15, 2021 online using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform. The poll was distributed to 1,293 recipients and 521 consented to the terms of the survey and provided responses. Recipients included those who are members of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), the Middle East and North Africa section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), and other relevant contacts of the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) at George Washington University. The poll was conducted using an anonymous link sent out via email, which did not collect any identifiable information about the respondents. The poll was designed using the University of Maryland's Qualtrics platform, which generated the anonymous link that was sent out, and the data from the responses were also collected on this platform.
Articles:
"Here's how experts on the Middle East see the region's key issues, our new survey finds," Washington Post Monkey Cage, February 16, 2021.
(Cross-posted here: "Biden says he will listen to experts. Here is what scholars of the Middle East think.," Brookings Institution Order from Chaos, February 19, 2021).
"Two-Thirds of Middle East Experts Want Biden to Return to Iran Deal Without Conditions: Poll," by Nicole Fallert, Newsweek, February 16, 2021.
"UMD Co-sponsors Venture Surveying Middle East Scholars," by Maryland Today Staff, Maryland Today, February 16, 2021.
Contact information for the project:
Kirsten Langlois, Project Manager
| [email protected] | (301) 405-6734 |
Banner Artwork Credit: "Overlap" by Ruth Bowler, first place for 2-Dimensional art (2002), Sadat Art for Justice and Peace Collection
"When I think of peace, I am unconsciously drawn to a distinct space. I call this space overlap. It is the moment after we realize each other's differences and the moment before we decide what to do with them. In this fluid, negotiable space, the possibility of peace exists."
https://sadat.umd.edu/events/sadat-art-peace-competition
