( CNN ) -- Arab residents in the Middle East and North Africa may enjoy Hollywood blockbusters , but they are also wary of the content , saying it is potentially `` harmful to morality , '' a study finds . The `` Entertainment Media Use in the Middle East '' survey , commissioned by Northwestern University and the Doha Film Institute , interviewed more than 6,000 people -- both nationals and expats -- in Qatar , Saudi Arabia , Lebanon , Egypt , Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates . According to the survey 45 % of respondents say they watch Hollywood movies , but 34 % say American films have content that is `` harmful to morality . '' Only 15 % say U.S.-made films are good for morality -- as opposed to 71 % who feel the same about Arab movies . The respondents are also conflicted about other foreign films . While two-thirds say people benefit from watching movies from different parts of the world , 65 % say they prefer films that portray their own culture . More than half ( 54 % ) say films are an important source of information about their own culture . It is no surprise that an overwhelming number prefer Arab films , which are favored by more than 80 % of overall respondents . In contrast , only around half of the citizens surveyed say they enjoy American and European movies . A large majority of respondents believe entertainment should be regulated for both romantic and violent content . More than two-thirds agree that films or other entertainment programs should be banned if they are deemed to be offensive . Respondents in Saudi Arabia and Egypt show the strongest support for censorship -- 76 % and 77 % respectively . Tunisia appears to be the most tolerant of all , but still more than half of its respondents support censorship . `` These apparently contradictory findings really are not , but reflect how the Arab world is coping with globalization and still grappling to preserve local culture , '' Everette E. Dennis , dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar , says in a statement . In early March , three Gulf countries -- Qatar , the UAE and Bahrain -- announced that Hollywood biblical blockbuster `` Noah '' could not be screened in cinemas , saying the depiction of Noah -- whom Muslims revere as a prophet -- is taboo in Islam . Two months earlier , in January , censors in the UAE and Qatar cut more than 40 minutes of the three-hour-long `` Wolf of Wall Street , '' a Martin Scorsese-directed portrayal of a wayward stock trader , due to `` foul language and explicit content , '' angering moviegoers in both countries . Yet , the Northwestern University-Doha Film Institute survey shows that 72 % of Qatari residents and 68 % of Emirati residents generally support banning offensive content . Hollywood films are not the only ones that ran aground in the Middle East and North Africa . Qatar pulled Bollywood erotic horror flick `` Raaz 3 '' from theaters in 2012 and , along with the UAE , banned Indian comedy `` Grand Masti '' last year . In 2012 , a Tunisian court fined the head of a private TV station 2,400 Tunisian dinars ( around $ 1,400 ) after his Nessma TV aired `` Persepolis , '' a French-American animated film whose depiction of God was slammed by some religious leaders as offensive to Islam .
Almost half of Arab people in six Middle East and North African countries say they like Hollywood films . But more than a third say American films have content that is ` ` harmful to morality . '' More than two - thirds agree that movies or other entertainment programs should be banned if they are perceived to be offensive .