‘48% of Jordanians say country not on right track’

AMMAN — More Jordanians believe matters in the country are going in the wrong direction than those who feel they are on the right track, according to a recent poll conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI).

The survey — which polled a randomly selected sample of 1,000 Jordanians eligible to vote and is a representation of the population by age, gender, geographic location, income and education — showed that 48 per cent of citizens believe the country is going in the wrong direction compared with 39 per cent who believe everything is on the right track.

Some 36 per cent of the sample who said things are going in the wrong direction cited high prices, while 14 per cent cited corruption and 12 per cent blamed poor economic conditions. Around 11 per cent of them said things were going in the wrong direction and blamed government policies, 7 per cent cited the Syrian refugee influx and 5 per cent mentioned unemployment.

People who felt that the country is on the right track primarily credited stability and security (61 per cent),  political and economic reforms (8 per cent), and the improving economy (8 per cent), according to the report, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times.

Some 35 per cent of the sample described the current economic situation as bad, 32 per cent said it is good, while 29 per cent believe it as very bad and 2 per cent think it is very good.

Of those who said the economy is in a bad or very bad shape, 33 per cent blamed high prices, compared with 15 per cent who cited low income. Others said it was due to unemployment (13 per cent), corruption (10 per cent) and the Syrian refugee crisis (8 per cent), according to the survey.

Around 75 per cent of Jordanians said they do not believe that a recent government decision to increase the prices of some commodities will help reduce the budget deficit.

When asked what constitutes the heaviest burden on household budgets, 39 per cent of the polled sample cited fuel prices, 35 per cent said food, 17 per cent blamed electricity and 2 per cent said clothes.

In response to question on why pro-reform rallies have decreased over the past year, 23 per cent of respondents said the protests were neither effective nor had they produced any positive results. 

Meanwhile, 23 per cent were not sure or did not know, while others pointed to fears of losing security (7 per cent) and concern that Jordan could follow the path of neighbours engulfed in unrest (12 per cent). 

The Syrian refugee crisis weighs more heavily on the minds of Jordanians than in previous surveys, the IRI said, with 13 per cent of the respondents citing it as the single biggest problem facing the Kingdom, up from 3 per cent in March 2013.

More than two out of five Jordanians, or 43 per cent, support closing the border to Syrian refugees, while nearly a third, or 32 per cent, agrees with limiting the number of refugees. 

About 23 per cent believes the borders should remain open, according to the survey.

Overall, the polled sample said they believe that the Syrian refugee influx has significantly affected real estate prices and job opportunities for Jordanians, as well as the quality of public healthcare services, education in public schools and municipal services.

On the planned power nuclear plant, 54 per cent of Jordanians said they are in favour of the project, compared to 33 per cent who said they were against it and 12 per cent who said they are not sure or do not know.

The majority of the sample, or 76 per cent, has little to no familiarity with the nuclear programme's specifics. 

The USAID-funded IRI Jordan programme utilises public opinion polling data to inform decision makers, political parties and civil society of citizen priorities.