The “Arab Opinion Index 2026” survey found that 85 percent of Syrian households fall into the “subsistence” and “deprivation” categories. This points to continued pressure on living standards and difficulty saving or covering basic needs for a wide segment of the population, despite a relative improvement in assessments of the security and political situation.

The results showed unemployment, poverty and poor economic conditions topping the list of challenges facing the country, amid demands to improve living standards, create jobs and control prices. The rising cost of education, medical treatment and medicines also emerged as major obstacles for households trying to access basic services.

The results came from the survey announced by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, in cooperation with the Arab Center for Contemporary Syria Studies, in early November. It covered a sample from across Syrian governorates.

Gap between assessments of general conditions and economic reality

The survey results showed that half of respondents believe things in Syria are heading in the right direction. Some 68 percent rated the security situation positively and 63 percent the political situation, compared with only 41 percent for the economic situation.

This gap reflects a difference between how participants assess general conditions and economic and living conditions, which remained at the top of their concerns.

Some 42 percent of participants identified unemployment, poverty and poor economic conditions as the main challenge facing Syria, compared with 33 percent who considered political and security challenges the most important.

85 percent of households between subsistence and deprivation

The survey classified Syrian households into three categories according to their ability to meet their living needs. Surplus households made up 13 percent, subsistence households 55 percent, and deprivation households 30 percent.

These results indicate that 85 percent of surveyed households fall into the subsistence and deprivation categories, meaning they either do not achieve a financial surplus or face difficulties covering their basic needs.

Although the share of deprivation households fell compared with the 2025 survey, the data show that most households continue to have limited capacity to save, along with pressures related to covering daily expenses.

Faced with these conditions, the results showed that the most deprived households rely on borrowing from relatives and friends, followed by assistance provided through kinship and neighborhood networks, highlighting the role of family and community support in coping with living burdens.

In addition, 40 percent of respondents said their households receive remittances from abroad, either monthly on a regular basis or at irregular intervals.

Economic conditions push people to consider emigration

Some 29 percent of survey participants said they wished to leave Syria, and 55 percent of those wanting to emigrate attributed their decision to economic reasons, chiefly unemployment and rising prices.

Security and political reasons ranked after economic motives, showing that living conditions, job opportunities and economic stability are among the factors influencing participants’ desire to leave the country.

Costs of education and treatment top the obstacles

In education, 62 percent of respondents rated the quality of education positively, but its rising cost topped the obstacles to accessing or continuing it, at 35 percent.

Poor quality of education came second at 17 percent, followed by a shortage of teachers at 11 percent, according to the survey results.

In the health sector, 54 percent of participants considered the quality of government health services good, while 33 percent identified the high cost of treatment as the main obstacle to benefiting from health services.

The rising price of medicines came next at 16 percent, followed by the unavailability of doctors at 12 percent.

These results show that financial burdens are an obstacle preventing some households from benefiting from basic services even when they are available, because the costs of education, treatment and medicines are high relative to their spending capacity.

Assessment of government economic policies

The survey results showed that 44 percent of participants believe the government’s domestic economic policy expresses their views, while 52 percent disagree.

This indicator declined compared with the 2025 survey, according to the published results.

The survey also indicated that fewer than half of participants rated the government’s performance as successful in controlling price increases, tackling unemployment and stabilizing the Syrian pound’s exchange rate.

These assessments come as economic and living issues top participants’ priorities, particularly job opportunities, prices and the ability to secure daily needs.

88 percent see financial and administrative corruption

On corruption, 88 percent of respondents considered financial and administrative corruption to exist in Syria to varying degrees, compared with 9 percent who said it is not widespread at all.

This figure shows that corruption is among participants’ concerns, alongside issues related to economic policies and public services, and the demands for greater transparency and accountability that accompany them.

3,600 participants across governorates

The “Arab Opinion Index 2026” survey relied on a sample of 3,600 male and female respondents from across Syrian governorates, with a confidence level of 98 percent and a margin of error between 2 and 3 percent.

Fieldwork was carried out from September 28 to October 15, 2026, and included more than 500 questions covering economic, social and political issues, as well as social and national integration.

The survey results offer a picture of Syrian public opinion, combining relatively positive assessments of the security and political situation with continuing economic and living concerns.

Unemployment, poverty, the rising cost of services and price control remain among the main issues identified by participants, while the results show that a segment of households continues to rely on borrowing, assistance and remittances from abroad to cover their living needs.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.