Food insecurity across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is already widespread and deepening. New Arab Barometer data show that large segments of the region’s population are struggling to meet basic nutritional needs. Now, the escalating war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran risks pushing millions closer to hunger, turning an already fragile situation into a more acute crisis….
Search results for: Wave IX
Is COVID-19 compelling Arab citizens to surrender freedoms to their governments?
Efforts to control the spread of covid-19 have prompted governments across the Arab World to pursue aggressive strategies — from closing international borders and imposing curfews, to restricting movement between cities and expanding digital surveillance of citizens. Such measures expose not only the tension between public health safeguards and protecting individual civil liberties; rather, they also reveal the threat of…
Morocco’s Pulse: Ten years after February 20th
On this day in 2011, thousands of Moroccans took to the streets in dozens of cities to demand an end to corruption and authoritarianism, and to call for democracy and dignity. The movement, which was dubbed “the February 20th Movement” — referring to the first day of protests — is considered the largest protest movement in the history of modern…
China ‘Delighted to See’ It Tops U.S. in Popularity in Arab Countries Poll
China has exulted in a recent poll showing the nation’s favorability was roughly twice that of the United States across six Arab countries. “I’m delighted to see the survey, which, I believe, reflects the considerable public support for China-Arab friendship,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Thursday during the first press conference to be held following week-long Lunar New…
Info-Deficiency in an Infodemic: The Gender Digital Gap, Arab Women and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract: This commentary tackles the complex struggles faced by Arab women, including multiple layers of invisibility, marginalization and inequality,[1] all of which have significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This examination includes a special focus on how and why the “digital divide,” defined as the gap between the technological haves and have-nots, has been a major contributing factor to this…
Godly Governance
This paper seeks to investigate Muslim support for religious governance in Arab Muslim-Majority countries, focusing on the role of personal piety. It does so by exploring the relevant literature and deriving hypotheses from it, which are subsequently tested by using survey data of the Arab Barometer (Wave III and IV). The following analysis conducts hierarchical linear regression with the dependent…
Fact Sheet: MENA Region Economy
Background: In the sixth wave of Arab Barometer, we interviewed citizens from seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa within the period of July 2020 – April 2021, tracking citizens’ evaluations of their economic situation during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic. About AB6 How we did this. The following factsheet sets out some of the main…
Whither Erdogan? Regional Leadership and the struggle for Arab Hearts and Minds
In the rivalry for regional influence, it is not only states that jostle for strategic primacy and public positioning in Arab countries. Regional leaders have also sought to project and represent their states’ foreign policies and aspire for public recognition. Some, like Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, even have an active and multi-lingual presence on Twitter and other social media…
Political Attitudes of Arab Citizens in North Africa
Theories of social capital, government performance, Islamic values, and globalization are among the most important tools that can be used to help explain individuals’ political attitudes. The present research attempts to address the effects of the above-mentioned factors on the political attitude of Arab citizens using the Arab Barometer Wave IV data. The results showed that only 23.2% of citizens…
Are Islamists in the MENA more Pro-Democracy than Seculars?
The recent decades have witnessed an increase in the visibility of political parties with conservative backgrounds in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. These parties have had varied experiences in government, ranging from subordination (E.g the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt) to power-sharing (e.g Ennahda in Tunisia) to dominance (the AKP in Turkey). These varied experiences were shaped by…
UN Envoy to Libya proposes a new initiative, what do Libyans want?
Following months of political deadlock, a new political body is in the making to shake up Libya’s political impasse. On February 27, 2023, UN special envoy to Libya, Abdullah Bathily, told the UN Security Council he plans “to establish a High-level Steering Panel for Libya.” Bathily’s plan aims to facilitate the organization of elections, both legislative and presidential in the…
A Decade of Public Opinion Research in MENA : The Arab Barometer Project
This presentation covered the following areas: About The Arab Barometer Question Areas Capacity Building Tracking Public Opinion Online Data Analysis Portal Academic Journals In the Recent News The Fifth Wave Outreach
Climate Change and the Environment in the Middle East and North Africa 2021-2022
Arab Barometer Wave VII results make clear that MENA citizens recognize, and are concerned about, the environmental challenges facing the region. People across MENA agree that both citizens and governments contribute to these challenges. At the same time, the results show a broad support among citizens for more government actions in response to climate change. However, despite recognizing the existence…
Half of Lebanese consider migrating
Lebanese are the most pessimistic about their country’s economic future of any country surveyed in Arab Barometer’s sixth wave between 2020 and the spring of 2021. Among all the economic worries, the rising cost of living is seen as the biggest challenge. Unsurprisingly, about half citizens (48 percent) are seeking to leave their homeland for better opportunities abroad. Yet, when…
The pandemic caused a global surge in domestic violence. For victims with few options, abuse has become the new normal.
AMMAN, Jordan — By the time Umm Zeid caught the coronavirus in September, the Jordanian mother of three had spent 18 months losing a battle with what has become known as a shadow pandemic: domestic violence. Since the first wave of lockdowns, Umm Zeid has suffered in her small home in a city in northeast Jordan. In her 30s, she…