FPD has worked since 2007 to strengthen the role of free and independent media in Palestinian society.  To that end, the Foundation has supported the development and expansion of an independent Palestinian television station with the dual purpose of providing a local, credible alternative to existing media outlets to viewers within both the West Bank and Gaza and of enabling the station to broadcast more balanced and professional news programming consistent with international journalism standards.

Public Opinion Research

FPD has, since 2004, conducted seven public opinion surveys gauging opinion within the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding key political, economic and social issues.

Select findings from our June 2008 survey of residents of Tehran include:

• Since April 2008, the right direction figure within Tehran has plummeted from 45 percent to 25 percent.  Now, a majority (57 percent) of those living in Tehran say that the country is moving in the wrong direction.
  
  
• Nearly four-in-five (79 percent) respondents cite some type of economic issue as the most important problem facing Iran (a 17-point increase since April).
  
  
• In a new question posed to respondents, 77 percent do not feel they are economically better off this year than last year.
  
  
• Forty-one percent of respondents indicate they prefer a more secular system with minimum interference of Government and Religion into the affairs of one another compared to 38 percent who prefer the status quo – a mixed system of clerical and non-clerical rule.
  
  
• At the same time, the margin between those who feel like there are adequate opportunities for free expression and those who do not has grown from 16 points to 29 points, with 62 percent now saying there are inadequate opportunities for free expression.
  
  
• The favorability rating of President Ahmadinejad has dropped from 61 percent in April to 54 percent currently.
  
  
• Ahmadinejad’s ballot support has dropped by half – from 26 percent to 13 percent – in just the past two months.  Khatami and Rafsanjani are now the clear front-runners, with 24 percent and 22 percent, respectively.  Qalibaf continues to garner 11 percent support.
  
  
• On a two-way ballot with Rafsanjani, Ahmadinejad loses by nearly a three-to-one margin (45 percent to 17 percent).
  
  
• When matched against Larijani, Ahmadinejad garners 29 percent as compared to Larijani’s 19 percent.  However, in this situation, most respondents (45 percent) indicate they support neither of these two candidates.
  
  
• On a similar two-way ballot, Rafsanjani garners a slight lead over Larijani (19 percent versus 13 percent, respectively).
  
  
• Most residents of Tehran (68 percent) characterize the government’s handling of the national economy as poor.  Other areas where the “poor” response outweighs the “good” response include support for the vulnerable and foreign policy. Opinions are mixed when it comes to education (47 percent say good and 47 percent say poor).
  
  
• The two areas where a majority of respondents give the government good marks are the health care system and the nuclear program.
  
  
• Residents of Tehran see Iran becoming increasingly isolated from the international community (now at 46 percent, a 10-point increase since April).
  
  
• Most respondents still believe Iran should have a civilian nuclear program, and opinions remain about the same with respect to a nuclear weapons program (46 percent of respondents think Iran should have a nuclear weapons program, which is comparable to the April survey results).
  
  
• Where there has been movement is on the question of whether Iran should suspend enrichment of uranium in order to gain international assistance in developing Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. One-third (33 percent) of respondents now say yes, which is up from 27 percent in April.
  
  
• The percentage of Tehran residents who indicate that international sanctions or trade restrictions against Iran do affect their household financial situation continues to climb.  It now stands at 78 percent, up 10 points since April and nearly 30 points since November 2007.
  
  
• Since the February 2008 survey, there are slightly more people (30 percent versus 26 percent) indicating that Iran is currently isolated from the international community; there are also slightly more people (65 percent versus 61 percent) who say international sanctions or trade restrictions affect their household financial situation a great deal or fair amount.
  

Broadcast Programming

FPD has produced Farsi-language programs for pro bono distribution among Iranian television and satellite radio broadcasters into Iran, including the translation of two award-winning PBS documentaries:

• A Force More Powerful  is a two-hour documentary that provides an in-depth study and documentation of 20th century nonviolent struggles including those led by Mahatma Gandhi (India), Martin Luther King (U.S. Civil Rights), Nelson Mandela (Anti-Apartheid in South Africa) and the Chilean anti-Pinochet movement.
  
  
• Bringing Down a Dictator is a powerful, real-world documentation of a daring group of young Serbian resistance leaders who, through the use of nonviolent resistance methods, captured the imagination of their fellow Serbs, then the world, and eventually brought about the collapse of Slobodan Milosevic.

Highlights of the documentary programs were later published and made available for electronic dissemination throughout Iran.

Non-Violent Political Activism Training

In 2004, FPD sponsored and hosted a political activism training program for young Iranian political activists from the United States and Europe. Conducted in Washington, D.C., over a five-day period by an internationally-acclaimed expert on civil disobedience, the training focused on organizing grassroots operations, rallies and demonstrations, as well as designing effective media and community relations strategies.

Public Opinion Research

Since 2004, FPD has conducted 12 public opinion surveys of political, cultural and economic attitudes within Iraqi Kurdistan, the purpose of which is to better identify and understand Kurdish sentiment on issues including: living conditions, awareness and performance of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the departments under its control, television viewing habits, news sources and election participation.

Highlights of its most recent poll, a Women’s Rights Survey, include:

Election Monitoring

FPD was accredited as an official elections monitor by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) for the October 2005 Iraqi Constitutional Referendum and the December 2005 Iraqi National Assembly Elections.

FPD observers found both elections to be free and fair in the balloting. They did, however, have serious concerns as to the accuracy of the Iraqi voter lists and have recommended that substantial effort be placed in reviewing and updating the lists.

Public Communications and Political Advertisement Training

FPD produced a series of Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) television advertisements with the dual purpose of motivating Iraqi Kurds to vote in Iraqi National Assembly Elections and training local partners on public communications and political advertising techniques.

Using its survey research capabilities and data, FPD tested advertising messages for effectiveness and cultural sensitivity, resulting in an overwhelming success as measured by record-setting voter turnout in Kurdish areas of Iraq.

Examples of those advertisements may be viewed here.