The firm, which already has a panel of respondents in the country, was the first company to carry out a poll in Egypt after Hosni Mubarak’s government fell earlier this year, Chahal said, and he has similar designs on Libya “once things have settled down”.

He told Research that in Egypt’s case there had been “huge interest” from clients outside the region in political polling, and he predicts a similar situation once Gaddafi has been replaced and the world seeks information on the new Libya. Chahal expects high levels of interest. “Who knows anything about the political situation in Libya?” he said.

Chahal said YouGov has been carrying out regular polling work in Egypt with Middle Eastern TV station Al Aan since the fall of Mubarak’s regime, and the firm expects work to increase as time goes by.