A poll conducted in early 2011 and just now released found that Saudis tend to be confident that their government can tackle the country’s problems over the next five years.

When asked to what extent the government could address the challenges identified by the survey, 30% replied to a great extent and 31% said to an average extent, while 19% replied to a limited extent and 11% said it couldn’t address them at all; 9% declined to answer.

An overwhelming majority of respondents expressed trust in the government and its main institutions. More than 50% said they trusted the government, the judiciary and the armed forces to a great extent, while about 3% said they do not trust these institutions.

Respondents gave the government high marks on performance: 78% said it was either good or very good, while 4% rated it bad or very bad. Moreover, 73% expressed confidence in the government’s economic management and 75% said it had improved basic health services, while 55% said it was narrowing the gap between rich and poor. But only 49% said the government’s performance at creating employment opportunities was good or very good.