Egypt's Academy Award Favorites

• 68% say if a movie is nominated for an Academy Award they are more likely to watch it
• 26% agree Sandra Bullock gave best performance by an actress in 2013
• 14% say ‘Iron Man 3’ was most enjoyed movie of 2013

Ahead of this year’s Academy Awards, we decided to survey our panelists in Egypt, the powerhouse of film production in the Middle East, about this year’s nominees.

The majority of online respondents in Egypt (86 percent) are aware of the Academy Awards, however, only 22 percent are planning to watch them this year. Those aged 18 – 24 are most likely to watch, with 28 percent indicating as such.

When asked which movie should win the Oscar for Best Picture, online respondents most often said ‘12 Years A Slave’ (16 percent), followed by “Iron Man 3” (11 percent). Interestingly, only 10 percent of respondents said “12 Years A Slave” was the movie they enjoyed most in 2013. Most commonly, online respondents agree their favorite movie of the year is “Iron Man 3” (14 percent), followed by “Frozen” (10 percent).

Despite the disconnect between movies respondents believe should win Best Picture and movies they enjoy most, 68 percent of respondents admit they are more likely to watch a movie if it is nominated for an Academy Award.

Online respondents were less divided when asked who should win Best Actress this year, with 26 percent saying Sandra Bullock should win for her role in ‘Gravity’. Tom Hanks emerged as the favorite among online respondents in Egypt, with 17 percent agreeing his performance in ‘Captain Phillips’ ought to win him the Oscar for Best Actor.

Steve McQueen, director of ’12 Years A Slave’, is the favorite among online respondents in Egypt, 18 percent of whom agree his direction in ’12 Years A Slave’ deserves the Oscar. Interestingly, 13 percent think Shane Black should win for his work in ‘Iron Man 3’, despite not receiving a nomination for Best Director. However, ‘Iron Man 3’ did receive a nomination for best Visual Effects.

The survey was conducted using the YouGov Omnibus online panel from January 28 – February 2, 2014 among 1,111 online respondents in Egypt. The results are based on a total sample of 1013 respondents currently living in Egypt and are broadly representative of the online population in Egypt.

For more information about YouGov Omnibus research, click here