Poll: Yemenis find little hope in economy

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Yemenis are struggling to find hope for their economy after months of violence and political instability, results of a Gallup poll suggest.

Gallup said 42 percent of Yemenis have struggled to find food for their families in the past year and less than 10 percent describe local economic conditions as good.

A U.N. Children's Fund representative for Yemen said recently the Middle East country "is on the verge of a true humanitarian disaster" on a par with that of Somalia.

The political environment is making food and goods shortages and poor employment conditions worse, Gallup said Tuesday. Embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was seriously wounded during an attack on his presidential compound in June, faces international pressure to resign.

Gallup said 29 percent of Yemenis are unable to afford adequate shelter or housing for themselves or their families.

The Gallup results are based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 adults, ages 15 and older, conducted July 23-29 in Yemen. The margin of sampling error is 3.8 percentage points.