President Barack Obama had invited more than 200 entrepreneurs from the Muslim world to a Washington DC summit as part of a program to encourage innovation and growth in Muslim countries, billing it as a "new beginning" in relations between the United States and the Muslim world.

The Yahoo! Maktoob Research poll shows that Arabs are quite informed when it comes to US activities involving the Muslim world, as almost six out of ten respondents (62 percent) were aware of US President Obama's speech to Muslim entrepreneurs, out of which there were significantly more men and Egyptians.

Less than three out of ten respondents (26 percent) believe that the United States is either very or somewhat committed to improving economic conditions in the Muslim World. Out of the countries surveyed, believability seems to be the lowest among Jordanians.

The same percentage is being achieved when asked how optimistic Arabs are that the United States will be able to help improve economic conditions in the Muslim World. Just over a quarter (26 percent) are very or somewhat optimistic. Men, North African and Levant Nationals are the least optimistic.

The largest percentage of respondents (82 percent) states that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the most important issue for the United States to address to prove its commitment to improving relations with individual citizens in the Muslim World.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is followed by democracy and justice in the Muslim World (40 percent) and the war in Iraq (37 percent). The other issues are being ranked as follows: human rights (29 percent), nuclear proliferation (27 percent), economic development/jobs (24 percent), religious freedom (24 percent) and women's rights (3 percent). On average three main issues are being mentioned by the respondents.

A larger number of women seem to be concerned about the war in Iraq (45 percent versus 35 percent) and religious freedom (34 percent versus 20 percent) compared to their male counterparts.

Tamara Deprez, head of Yahoo! Maktoob Research commented: "We are excited about sharing the results of the online poll whereby respondents shared their views on the role the United States is playing in fostering entrepreneurship in the Arab World, following the recent summit in Washington."

"There is a tremendous opportunity for countries around the globe to participate in high-growth entrepreneurship and further technology advancements. Growth and empowerment throughout the region must be founded and ultimately driven within the Arab World. To enable that, communities need to build a foundation that makes high-growth entrepreneurship possible, including investing in R&D and education and creating a culture that encourages entrepreneurship."