This piece is part of a four-part series published by the Middle East Institute in cooperation with Arab Barometer analyzing the results of the seventh wave of the Arab Barometer surveys. Key findings from the latest Arab Barometer survey, its seventh wave, reveal that clear majorities in the 12 countries in which the survey was conducted still hold traditional views on gender norms. Despite…
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Bearing the brunt: COVID’s impact on MENA women at home and at work
The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect everyone equally; every region of the world has reported on the gender disparity of the virus’s toll. This is of particular concern in the MENA region, where women’s rights and roles in the public sphere have been limited by both legal and societal norms. Given the pre-pandemic status of women in the MENA region,…
Protests in North Africa: The Arab Spring Was Just the Beginning
2011 was not the end, but the beginning, and maybe it wasn’t even that. Perhaps the deep crisis of the traditional social contract that underpinned most of the MENA region’s ruling regimes since independence had begun even before. The first cracks could be already be heard by sensitive ears in the 2000s, when the liberal reforms introduced by several Arab…
Arab Barometer VI
Arab Barometer’s sixth wave is the largest publicly available survey that captures the changing sentiments of citizens across MENA during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between July 2020 and April 2021, we interviewed 20,000 citizens in seven Arab countries, making ours the only survey of its kind to track changes in MENA citizens’ attitudes and behaviors over time…
Gaza War and Regional Escalation Reshape Public Opinion Across MENA
As the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran escalates into a broader regional confrontation, new Arab Barometer survey data offer critical insight into how publics across the Middle East and North Africa are reassessing regional security, alignments, and the influence of great powers. These themes were at the center of the Washington launch of Arab Barometer’s Wave IX…
Iraq Pulse: unrest amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Nearly 19 years have passed since the removal of Saddam Hussein from power and the establishment of the second republic of Iraq. While the structures of the State and the political system have been deeply and extensively reshaped, the impact of this transformation on the life of Iraqis remains debated. The latest Arab Barometer’s (AB) survey (Wave VI which was–…
Fragile Popularity: Arab Attitudes Towards China
In recent years, China’s engagement in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been rapidly increasing. At least 17 MENA countries have signed agreements as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Meanwhile, in response to the COVID pandemic, Chinese vaccines have been secured by a number of countries across the region while China has promised aid to…
Freedoms and Retrenchment in MENA
Over the last year a number of peaceful protests have been met with violence by authorities across the Middle East and North Africa. However, even before the most recent protests, evidence suggests that citizens across MENA enjoyed far fewer basic rights than in the years following the Arab uprisings of 2011. Results from Arab Barometer make clear that the degree…
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Amid Persistent Challenges, Iraqis Express Cautious Optimism in Latest Survey
For Immediate Release **Please credit Arab Barometer** A new Arab Barometer survey reveals the evolving views of Iraqis on pressing national and regional issues. This Wave VIII survey provides insights into public concerns, including economic hardship, corruption, gender equality, and climate change, as well as reactions to the ongoing Gaza crisis and shifting geopolitical dynamics. The findings underscore cautious optimism…
Arab Barometer Examines MENA Gender Dynamics Ahead of International Women’s Day
For Immediate Release **Please credit Arab Barometer** In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, Arab Barometer presents findings from its latest Wave VIII survey (2023–2024), offering insights into public attitudes toward women’s roles in home life, political leadership, workforce participation, and gender-based violence across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Authored by Dr. MaryClare Roche, Director…
Public Sentiment and the Future of MENA: An Interview With Amaney Jamal
With the new wave of unrest sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, we are reminded that the opinion of ordinary citizens is important and should not be ignored. The Arab Barometer recently finished field work for The Big BBC News Arabic Survey 2018/2019, the most extensive and wide-ranging survey ever attempted of its kind, to find out what Arab…
A MENA Paradox in Migration?
Throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), high female educational attainment is not met with commensurate participation in economic and political life, a phenomenon the World Bank dubs the “MENA paradox.” Is this paradox mirrored in gendered migration trends in the region? According to the fifth wave of the Arab Barometer, men are nearly twice as likely as women…
What MENA Citizens Think About The Environment in 11 Graphs
From 28 to 31 March 2022, the inaugural Middle East and North Africa Climate Week 2022 in Dubai, UAE will bring together key stakeholders to take the pulse of climate action in the region, explore climate challenges and opportunities to build forward from the pandemic and showcase ambitious solutions. Arab Barometer’s 2018-2019 wave of surveys found that citizens across MENA…