The United Nations (UN) plays a critical role in addressing international conflicts, particularly in the Arab world. Yet, perceptions of the organization differ widely across the region, influenced by each country’s unique experiences and priorities. Using the findings from the Arab Barometer Wave VII (2021-2022) survey, this blog explores which Arab publics hold favorable views of the UN, what they…
Search results for: Wave IX
Teachers’ protest challenges Jordanian status quo
Teachers in Jordan are starting the third week of one of the longest strikes by educators in the region’s history. The teachers are demanding a 50 percent salary increase, which they claim was promised to them by the government in 2014. However, negotiations with the government have stalled, and there is no end in sight. The grievances raised by the…
Fighting racism in Tunisia 1 bag of groceries at a time
Ordinary Tunisians are volunteering to help sub-Saharan African residents who are being persecuted. They say the issues behind the current crisis — racism and migration — should have been tackled long ago. In a cobbled lane in the Tunisian capital, canvas has been fixed to the white walls of a nearby garden to form shelters. Here and there, you also…
Democracy in MENA: A Demand for Dignity, Not Just Elections
For Immediate Release **Please credit Arab Barometer** Across the Middle East and North Africa, citizens continue to prefer democracy—but this preference is not focused on elections alone. New data from Arab Barometer show that the reason people effectively support democracy is the belief that it will translate into dignity, including bringing political equality, economic security, and personal safety. In a…
How Libyans See Seif al-Islam Gaddafi — and What Comes Next for Libya’s Politics
News broke on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, that Seif al-Islam Gaddafi was killed at his residence in western Libya. While his death marks the end of a controversial figure, its political significance may lie less in the event itself than in how Libyans perceive him—and what his absence means for the future of Libya’s fragmented political landscape. According to Arab…
Fact Sheet: Are Arab Citizens Satisfied With The Education System?
Background In the fifth and latest wave of the Arab Barometer, we asked over 25,000 citizens throughout the Middle East and North Africa to evaluate their satisfaction level with the education system in their country, and to report on their perception of corruption — in particular, the perceived need to pay a bribe to access better educational services. The following…
The Desire for Sovereignty — An Explanation of EU Attitudes in the Arab World
A growing body of survey research shows that the European Union (EU) has a relatively benign image around the world, except among Arab populations. What informs Arab citizens’ sceptical attitudes toward the European Union (EU)? Combining literature on Arab public opinion and perceptions of the EU, we argue that Arab citizens’ feelings about the EU are influenced most prominently by…
Between organization and spontaneity of protests: the 2010–2011 Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings
This paper investigates the role of social groups in mobilizing resources for protests in repressive contexts. In particular, it examines the impact of organizations and informal groups on individual engagement in the protests developed in 2010 in Tunisia and in 2011 in Egypt. The empirical analysis draws on the following data sources: the second wave of the Arab Barometer (2010–2011),…
Social Distance in Iraq and Lebanon
Research has found that tensions, conflicts, and wars worsen the views groups hold towards each other and, plausibly, increase social distance (Parks 1924; Bogardus 1925; Owen et al. 1981; Siber 1997; Parrillo and Donoghue 2005; Oswald 2005; Strabac 2016). Since the twentieth century the Middle East is caught up in interlocking pattern of crises, conflicts, wars, and terrorism. Almost every…
The Arab World’s Digital Divide
The internet has been touted as an engine for equality because of its potential to expand opportunities across all segments of society, accelerate upward social mobility, and lend voice and platforms to marginalized groups. Yet, despite decades of increasing internet penetration, the proliferation of smartphones, and an expanding internet culture, inequalities in the Arab World remain pronounced, and by some…
Algeria’s Pulse: Two Years After “Hirak”
Two years have passed since the advent of the Algerian “Hirak” – the social protest movement that instigated far reaching and substantial political change, primary among them was the prevention of a fifth presidential term for Abdelaziz Bouteflika. In Arab Barometer’s first survey of Wave 6, a substantial majority of Algerians (82 percent) believe that corruption was prevalent in state…
COVID-19 Magnifies Pre-Existing Gender Inequalities in MENA
COVID 19 is being perceived as a disruptor, an accelerator and an agent for innovation and advancement in various fields across the world. Yet, its impact has been a decelerator for women’s rights and gender equality globally. The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned that without immediate action, “the pandemic could set back women’s rights by decades”. And, the latest…
Youth in the Middle East and North Africa
Executive Summary Individuals between the ages of 15 and 29 account for roughly 30 percent of the population of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).1 The beliefs, attitudes, and preferences of this large and growing segment of the population has the potential to shape and drive the region’s future. Yet, widespread youth discontent about their economic prospects poses a…
Jordan: Public Opinion Report 2024
Arab Barometer’s Wave VIII survey captures public opinion in Jordan at a critical time. As the COVID-era restrictions and changes receded, many of the challenges Jordan had been facing over the previous decade returned to the fore. From the early 2010s until Arab Barometer’s 2022 survey, there had been consistent declines in views of government and economic challenges continued to…