Keywords: New sources of information on public opinion and the use of social media to voice public opinion

The main objective of this research-paper is to describe and explain exposure to different information media in seven MENA region countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq) and two different international comparative projects: Social and Political Transformations in the Arab World (Arab Trans, for the European Commission), and the 6th wave of the World Values Surveys.
The analysis will differentiate traditional media (newspapers, tv, radio, etc.) and new social media (facebook, twitter, instagram, email, etc.), constructing a separate index for each of the two types.
A comparison of results will be done using the data for the seven countries in the two international comparative projects.
To explain differences among countries explanatory models will be constructed using independent variables on demographic, attitudinal and macro-variables.
Interpretation of results will include three types of comparisons: among countries, among projects and within countries.