survey of lebanese citizens’ priority concerns and attitudes towards civic engagement

1 Survey of Lebanese citizen’s priority concerns and attitudes towards civic engagement

SURVEY OF LEBANESE CITIZENS’ PRIORITY CONCERNS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS CIVIC

ENGAGEMENT 8 July 2012 This document was produced by Management Systems International for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).


Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 4

INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 10

CITIZEN CONCERNS ................................................................................................................................... 11

1. Challenges and Problems for the Country and Community ............................................................. 11

1.1 National challenges and problems ................................................................................................ 11 1.2 Community challenges and problems ........................................................................................... 14

2. Social Problems and Challenges ........................................................................................................ 15

2.1 Very Important Social Problems and Challenges .......................................................................... 16 2.2 Most Important Social Problem or Challenge ............................................................................... 18

3. Political Challenges ........................................................................................................................... 19

3.1 Very Important Political Challenges .............................................................................................. 19 3.2 Most Important Political Challenge .............................................................................................. 20

4. Economic Challenges ........................................................................................................................ 21

4.1 Very Important Economic Challenges ........................................................................................... 21 4.2 – Most important economic challenge ......................................................................................... 22

5. Environmental Challenges ................................................................................................................ 23

5.1 Very Important Environmental Challenges ................................................................................... 23 5.2 Most important Environmental Challenges .................................................................................. 23

ATTITUDES TOWARDS INSTITUTIONS, CITIZENSHIP, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT .............................................. 25

6. Vulnerable Groups ............................................................................................................................ 25

7. Making a Difference .......................................................................................................................... 25

8. Confidence in Institutions to Solve Problems and Representativeness of Institutions .................... 25

9. Political parties and elections ........................................................................................................... 27

10. Civil Society Organizations .............................................................................................................. 27

11. Cross-confessional relations ........................................................................................................... 29

MEDIA USAGE ........................................................................................................................................... 30

12. Media Use and Information Sources .............................................................................................. 30

13. Usage of internet ............................................................................................................................ 32

SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS AND SURVEY METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 33

14. Survey Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 36

ANNEX A – SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ....................................................................................................... 39

ANNEX B – List of major problems at the national level ........................................................................... 49

ANNEX C- List of major problems at the community level ....................................................................... 51

ANNEX D-REGROUPING OF TOPICS .......................................................................................................... 53

ANNEX E – Cross-tabulations .................................................................................................................... 57


Table of Graphs and Figures 1. Major Problems at the National Level .................................................................................................................. 12 2. Major Problems at the National Level, Regrouped ............................................................................................... 12 3. Major Problems Facing the Community ................................................................................................................ 14 4. Major Problems Facing the Community, Regrouped ............................................................................................ 14 6. Very Important Social Challenges ......................................................................................................................... 16 7. Most important social challenge ........................................................................................................................... 18 8. Very important political challenges ...................................................................................................................... 19 9. Most Important Political Challenges ..................................................................................................................... 20 10. Most Important Economic Challenge .................................................................................................................. 22 11. Very important economic challenges .................................................................................................................. 23 12. Most Important Environmental Challenges ........................................................................................................ 24 13. Vulnerable Groups .............................................................................................................................................. 25 14. Making a Difference ............................................................................................................................................ 25 15. Degree of Confidence in Institutions ................................................................................................................... 26 16. Representativeness of institutions ...................................................................................................................... 26 17. Degree of Confidence in Institutions per region .................................................................................................. 68 18. Civil Society Organizations’ Success and Effectiveness ....................................................................................... 28 19. Type of Support for Civil Society Initiatives ......................................................................................................... 28 20. Types of Cooperation across Confessions ........................................................................................................... 29 21. Basis of Cooperation across Confessions ............................................................................................................ 29 22. Media Use ........................................................................................................................................................... 30 23. Frequency as a Source of Information ................................................................................................................ 30 24. National-Level Sources of Information ................................................................................................................ 31 25. Local Sources of Information............................................................................................................................... 31 26. Media Outlets Used for National Information .................................................................................................... 31 27. Media Outlets used for Local Information .......................................................................................................... 32 28. Connecting to the Internet – Uses ....................................................................................................................... 32 29. Social Media Sites ............................................................................................................................................... 32


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report from a survey of Lebanese citizen’s priority concerns and attitudes towards civic engagement is produced by the Promoting Active Citizen Engagement (PACE) program under funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The survey was carried out by Statistics Lebanon Ltd in March and April 2012, covering both urban and rural areas and all governorates. A nationally-representative sample of 2,000 Lebanese people aged 16 and above was interviewed with a face-to-face questionnaire mixing open and closed questions. The data are disaggregated by age, sex, district, income level, employment status and confession. The poll researched Lebanese citizens’ opinions and perceptions regarding the following:

a) Main concerns among the Lebanese public relating to political, economic, environmental and social issues on both the national and community levels

b) Attitudes toward civic/political engagement c) Level of the public’s confidence in the capacity of various institutions, including civil

society organizations (CSOs), to represent them d) The public’s view of CSOs e) Sources of news and information for the public and level of trust in each f) Frequency of internet and social media usage.

The survey’s main findings are:

A. Main concerns:

When asked to provide, unprompted, up to three issues they consider as main national and local concerns, respondents cite: Top 5 concerns at National and Community Level- Uncategorized National % Community % High cost of living 31.5 Electricity 36 Political situation 29 High cost of living 31.5 Economic situation 23 Unemployment 22 Security situation 22 Poverty 13 Electricity 20 Water problems 11.5

In % of responses Because the Lebanese name such a large number of major challenges both at the national and community level, many of which overlap, such as the high cost of living, cost of education, cost of housing, high fuel prices etc., this report regrouped the spontaneous responses into seven general categories, providing a sufficient number of cases for more in-depth analysis:


Main concerns expressed by the citizens, regrouped in general categories

In a country plagued by political and economic instability, it is not surprising that the economic situation topped the list of national-level concerns mentioned spontaneously by the respondents, followed by the political situation and security. Social concerns are less prominent, particularly at the national level, while the environment is mentioned only once, with pollution being at the very low end of the hierarchy of community concerns. At the community level priorities change markedly. The top concerns mentioned are those that strike close to home: infrastructure (especially electricity), cost of living, unemployment, and social issues. Politics and security were not cited as main community concerns. When they are mentioned as a community challenge, this is in reference to national politics. This suggests that the March 8-March 14 polemic so pervasive at the national level may be less relevant at the local level.

A further exploration of people’s views on a given list of issues provides a better understanding of what lies behind those broadly-defined top concerns:

SECTOR TOP 3 MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES Social • Drugs (27%)

• Corruption in society (16%) • Sectarianism (11%)

Political • Security and safety (23%) • Political stability (18%) • Corruption in government (14%)

Economy • Poverty (24%) • Finding job opportunities (23%) • Cost of living (18%)

Environment • Alternative energy sources (24%) • Quarries (18%) • Deforestation (17%)

Those guided responses are consistent with respondents’ unprompted choices. There is one exception: although public infrastructure was the topic spontaneously cited most often, it does not belong to the top three most important social issues cited. This might be because, when it comes to social issues, respondents prioritize those that affect as much their values as their lives.

18% 23%

36% 45% 45%

59% 55%

16%

44%

84%

50%

11% 16%

47%

PoliticalInstitutions

Social Infrastructure Economic / Highcost of living

Security PoliticalOutcomes

Economic /General

National Community


B. Main concerns, disaggregated per sub-groups of population.

The Lebanese demonstrate common concerns on a large number of issues, whatever their background. Some differences appear when it comes to confessional groups or regional belonging. When they exist, socio-economic variations seem to be mainly explained by geography, showing often a divide between the North, Mount Lebanon and Beirut on one side and Nabatieh, the Bekaa and the South on the other. The Bekaa appears often to be the most atypical amongst governorates. When they exist, socio-political variations seem to be explained by confessional belonging, with the Shiites often apart from the views of other confessions. Nevertheless, many issues show a high level of consensus. Amongst them are the high cost of living, unemployment, poor infrastructure (most notably electricity), corruption, political instability, and sectarianism.

This is also evident when looking at other categories of population. There are no major differences in the hierarchy of priorities between urban and rural populations save for some predictable topics such as the cost of housing. The same can be observed when data are disaggregated by gender, although differences appear on very specific issues linked to women’s rights, such as gender-based violence or a women’s quota in parliament. There is no visible generation gap. All age groups share the same concerns, except for unemployment, to which youth give a higher priority. Youth do not appear more “progressive” than earlier generations, even on social issues such as the place of women in political life, drugs, the environment or political issues. Poor people are more likely to mention issues related to the high cost of living or infrastructure but are less concerned about social challenges or security.

C. Attitudes towards institutions and civil society

• The institution that enjoys the highest level of confidence from a majority of the

population is the Lebanese Armed Forces, largely perceived as non-partisan. Other institutions related to security enjoy also a fair level of confidence, suggesting that the Lebanese have general confidence in the security services to protect the people, considering that security was cited as one of their main concerns.

• Civil society organizations (CSOs) are the second most trusted institution, scoring above 80% (when adding responses “great deal of” and “some degree of” confidence). This level of trust is highest amongst Christians and Sunnis and lowest amongst Shiites. They are mostly seen as relief providers. This seems to show greater Lebanese confidence in and reliance upon CSOs to provide services that the national and local governments cannot or do not provide effectively.

82%

54% 46% 44%

20% 18% 12% 10% 8% 4%

11% 14% 20%

34% 39% 45%

54% 60%

LebaneseArmed Forces

Civil Societyorganizations

(NGOs)

GeneralSecurity

Police/lawenforcement

The JudicialSystem

Local/citygovernment

The parliamentPolitical parties Government

Degree of Confidence in Institutions Great deal of confidenceNo confidence


• While 48% show confidence at some level in the local government, only 10% view it as one of the institutions that best represents their interests.

• The level of distrust is particularly high for national, political institutions such as the parliament, the government and political parties, which should be the institutions in charge of responding to citizens’ other main concerns: the economy, infrastructure and political stability. This appears reflected in the fact that 58% of respondents consider that no political party represents their views and in the decrease in their intention to vote in the next parliamentary elections (59.6%), in comparison to the 78.6% who voted in the last parliamentary elections in 2009.

All of this suggests both a growing disconnect and dissatisfaction between the citizenry and the institutions responsible for responding to their concerns and an overall disillusioned view of citizens’ capacity to bring change through elections, possibly due to the high level of political polarization in the country. Such findings are consistent with those from the Arab Barometer’s latest study, suggesting that these views are well entrenched.

More specifically, respondents’ views on civil society are:

• Civil society is considered effective by 81% of the population. This perception is highest among Christians and urban populations and lowest amongst Shiites and rural populations.

• 16.5% are unable to mention a single CSO by name.

• The Lebanese Red Cross is the only organization that enjoys a wide level of recognition and is considered to represent best the population’s concerns. It is followed distantly by charitable nation-wide organizations, then by many local religious and charitable institutions, cited only by a few persons.

• The most frequently cited CSOs are those that combine a regular presence in the media and a focus on relief work. Advocacy-oriented NGOs and nation-wide, non-relief oriented organizations are mentioned spontaneously by very few respondents, although some are well-known and would most likely have been recognized if they had been cited in the questionnaire.

• The main mode of support is through donations.

All of this suggests a perception of CSOs as relief charities, rather than vehicles to carry the voice of citizens, advocating on the people’s behalf for better policies on the topics that matter most to them. CSOs intending to mobilize citizens around changing policies will need to make active efforts to build an effective and engaged constituency. This is particularly the case in the Bekaa, which shows the least favorable attitudes towards civil society of all governorates.


D. Civic engagement

• 61% of respondents feel they cannot make a change on the topics they have identified

as priorities, which may reflect the disconnect noted above between the citizenry and institutions. This percentage is still 53% at the community level, where one could have expected citizens would feel more involved and able to effect local change.

• Youth are no more confident in their capacity to make a change than their parents or grand-parents.

• Despite the fact that women equally participated in the last municipal and parliamentary elections, they are less likely to cite their will to participate in the upcoming elections (57%) compared to 63% of men.

All of this points to a strong need to revive the interest of the Lebanese, and particularly that of youth and women, in participating in the public decisions that affect their daily lives. Given its positive image, civil society could play a role in this regard, both at the local level and through advocacy with national institutions. As noted above, this would require continuous effort on its part to build and motivate a constituency.

There is a strong willingness to cooperate with persons from other confessions (89%), mostly through dialogue (80%). People engage with other confessions based on proximity: being neighbors, colleagues or school friends. Tellingly, only 3% would engage with other confessions based on shared political views. This shows a potential readiness to cooperate across confessional lines at the community level, which could be harnessed by a non-confessional civil society, given the overall positive image of CSOs.

53%

25%

16%

6% 1%

61%

21%

13% 5%

1%

I can’t make a change I can somewhat make achange

I can make an averagechange

I can make a big change. Don’t know, no answer

Making a difference

Community level National Level


E. Media Usage

• The Lebanese are mostly viewers of television, with 89% watching TV daily. This is also

by far their primary source of information. The main channels for local or national news in terms of viewership are LBCI, New TV, and MTV. Other types of media are used much less frequently.

• Although internet is used by only 50% of the population, almost two thirds of its users access information through it.

• Radio is used daily by only 27% of the population and not considered as a major source of information. Printed press fares even worse, with only 11% of daily readers, out of which a mere 20% considers it as a source of information.

• Social media is the most frequent usage of internet, at 86%. Facebook is the social media of choice (97%), followed distantly by MSN (24%) and Twitter (11%).

This indicates strongly that any media outreach to the population should use television and web-based media. Engaging with radio channels or print media may only be effective if they have also an online presence or intend to build one, particularly if they reinforce their news contents such as with citizen journalism, a resource that most traditional media have not yet tapped into.

89% 87%

41%

27%

11% 8% 2%

8% 16% 15%

3% 11%

51% 57%

74%

Watch TV Use a cell phone Use the internet Listen to the radio Read the newspaper

Daily Moderate use Don’t use / Rarely use


INTRODUCTION This report was produced by the Promoting Active Citizen Engagement (PACE) program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The PACE program aims at building the capacity of Lebanese civil society organizations (CSOs) to act as catalysts for change through civic advocacy and participation that contributes to a cohesive national identity while preserving Lebanon’s social and political pluralism. The program empowers Lebanese civil society so that it can increase civic advocacy, activism, and participation through grants that respond to citizen concerns. Statistics Lebanon Ltd carried out the survey. A nationally-representative sample of 2,000 people was surveyed around the country. Through this survey, PACE seeks to gain a better understanding of public perceptions and attitudes as they relate to social, economic, and political conditions; civic participation and advocacy; and media, social media, and internet usage. This will also assist the PACE team in identifying a set of priority citizen concerns to be targeted by the program through grants, training, and technical assistance to Lebanese CSOs across the country. This opinion poll aims at illustrating Lebanese opinions and perceptions regarding the following:

• Main concerns among the Lebanese public relating to political, economic, environmental and social issues on both the national and community levels

• Attitudes toward civic/political engagement • Level of the public’s confidence in the capacity of various institutions, including civil

society organizations (CSOs), to represent them • The public’s view of CSOs • Sources of news and information for the public • Their level of trust in the different sources • Frequency and main reasons for internet usage • Frequency and main reasons for usage of social media tools


CITIZEN CONCERNS

1. Challenges and Problems for the Country and Community

1.1 National challenges and problems

The survey’s first question asked Lebanese what the major problems and challenges are in their country, prompting respondents for up to three responses. Economic, security and political challenges lead the list, followed by electricity. Social challenges are mentioned much less frequently and environmental issues do not appear. Breaking down responses by sex, age, income level, level of education, or urban vs. rural shows no major differences. Different confessions view those national challenges in the same order of priority, with some variations in intensity. Variations appear between confessional groups but the most significant ones appear between governorates.

The high cost of living is foremost in the minds of Lebanese citizens, mentioned by 32% of all Lebanese, to which one can add the specific mention of high fuel prices (6%).

Next on the list is the country’s political situation, mentioned by 29% of all respondents, without specifying any particular aspect of it. Linked to this issue are specific politico-social challenges, such as corruption, mentioned by 16%, and confessionalism, named by 14%.

The general economic situation is third on the list, with 23%. As with the political situation, many Lebanese also mentioned specific economic problems, such as unemployment, named in 19% of the responses, and poverty, mentioned in 11% of the responses.

The fourth highest ranked major problem is the country’s security situation, mentioned by 22% of the population. Unlike the general “economic situation” and “political situation” responses, Lebanese did not frequently name specific threats with great frequency. However, two more-specific security issues, the threat posed by Israel (6%), and foreign intervention (6%) did receive some mention.

After naming these multi-faceted, complex, and all-encompassing issues, the fifth most frequently mentioned challenge at 20%, is a specific infrastructure problem—electricity. One public health issue is also mentioned with a frequency >5%: deterioration of food and food safety1 (5% and 2% respectively).

1 “Deterioration of food” and “food safety” are listed separately in the survey results. However, given the media prominence of the recent food quality scandal, these separate responses are likely referring to the same issue and will be treated jointly in this report.


The table below lists all issues spontaneously mentioned by at least 5% of all respondents (see Annex B for full details). 1. Major Problems at the National Level

Major Problems or Challenges Facing Lebanon at the National Level (Top of Mind – Volunteered Responses > 5%)

% High cost of Living 32 Political situation 29 Economic situation 23 Security situation 22 Electricity problems 20 Unemployment 19 Political corruption 16 Confessionalism 14 Poverty 11 Food safety/deterioration of food 7 High fuel prices 6 Israeli threat 6 Foreign interventions 6

Because the Lebanese name such a large number of major problems or challenges facing the nation, many of which overlap, such as the economic situation, the high cost of living, unemployment, poverty, and high fuel prices, this report has regrouped the spontaneous responses (including those mentioned by less than 5% of the respondents) into seven general categories, as illustrated by the graph below. They provide a sufficient number of cases for more in-depth analysis. 2. Major Problems at the National Level, Regrouped

Problems and challenges to the nation that relate to political outcomes rank first in citizens’ minds (59% of respondents). These problems include topics such as the general political situation, corruption, the situation in Syria, nepotism, lack of political unity and the absence of the state. This is followed by general economic problems, such as the overall economic situation, unemployment, low salaries and poverty; and by responses that mentioned high costs, such as the high cost of living of public services or high fuel prices. Looking at those two topics together, it is clear that, by far, the economy is the nation’s top concern.

The security situation includes issues such as the general security situation, the Israeli threat, foreign intervention, and illegal arms or border demarcation. Apart from electricity, infrastructure issues include roads, infrastructure in general, and water problems. Social issues cover topics such as food safety, drugs, emigration, crime, and lack of morals. Political institutions include responses such as confessionalism, political parties or electoral reform.

59% 55% 45% 45%

36%

23% 18%

PoliticalOutcomes

Economic /General

Economic / Highcost of living

Security Infrastructure Social PoliticalInstitutions

Major Challenges Facing Lebanon at the National Level (Top of Mind - Volunteered Responses Regrouped)


Variations according to sub-categories of population

Confession

Different confessions2 rank national challenges in a similar order of priority, from political outcomes and economic issues as their main concerns down to social issues and political institutions perceived as least challenging. Differences are mostly variations in intensity. For instance, Sunnis and Shiites (22%) are more likely to say that the category of political institutions is a national challenge than Christians (13%), but they all share the same opinion that political institutions are the least important of the main national challenges. Conversely, 66% of Shiites cite the general economy, against 51% of Christians. This makes it the Shiites’ top concern but is also the Christians’ second highest concern.

Some of those variations may also reflect more the respondents’ environment than their confessional affiliations. For instance, it is likely that economic concerns are highest for Shiites because Shiites tend to live in the governorates where where such concerns are prevalent, i.e. the Bekaa and the South (see following section). (See table in Annex E for details) Region

Regional variations appear significantly more marked than confessional ones. Beirutis are most likely to name the high cost of living (60%). People from Bekaa, (106%,)3 and South (68%) cite more frequently general economic challenges, such as unemployment and poverty than Mt Lebanon (38%). Interestingly, economic challenges are mentioned by only 52% of the population in the North, although this governorate has the highest poverty rate4 Security is of most concern to the North and the Bekaa, possibly because of the influx of refugees from Syria and proximity to the Syrian border. The upsurge in violent incidents in the North in connection with the Syrian crisis likely accounts for the higher degree of citizen concern with the security situation in that governorate, especially since security conditions have a major impact on the local economy.. (See table in Annex E for details) Gender & Age

The differences between men and women or between age groups are variations in intensity but the order of priority remains comparable for all. Men are more likely to name political challenges, women are more likely to name economic challenges related to the cost of living. Younger Lebanese are more likely to name social or infrastructure problems than older generations. (See table 5 in Annex E for details) Other cross-tabulations

Urban citizens are more likely than their rural counterparts to cite social issues but less likely to mention economic challenges. Poor people are more concerned about the high cost of living or infrastructure but less concerned about social challenges or security.

2 For all of the cross-tabulations, results are only reported in the text when there are large percentage difference and when the number of cases in each cell is relatively large. For this reason, few results on Druze or on Nabatieh are mentioned in the report text. 3 Because respondents could provide 3 responses, the total can be higher than 100%. In this case, this means that the total number of responses linked to economic challenges is higher by 6% than the total number of respondents in the Bekaa, because some respondents mentioned more than one economic challenge. 4 International Poverty Centre. Poverty, growth and income distribution in Lebanon. January 2008.


1.2 Community challenges and problems

In contrast to what they saw as the major problems and challenges faced by the country, the Lebanese, when asked about the major problems and challenges faced by their community, cited mostly issues that hit close to home,: infrastructure (most notably electricity), economic conditions and social issues. Political and security issues are no longer amongst their top concerns, although political corruption continues to merit a frequent mention (7% of respondents), as did confessionalism (by 5% of respondents). One environmental issue appears on the list – pollution – albeit at 5% only. Responses per sub-category of populations show the same pattern as for country-level issues. Breaking down responses by sex or age group shows no major differences. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of confessional groups, while the most significant variations appear between governorates.

The table below lists all issues spontaneously mentioned by at least 5% of all respondents (see Annex C for full details. 3. Major Problems Facing the Community

Major Problems or Challenges Facing the Community (Top of Mind – Volunteered Responses > 5%)

% Electricity problems 36 High cost of living 31 Unemployment 22 Poverty 13 Water problems 12 Bad roads 10 Lack of morals 9 Security situation 9 Bad economic situation 9 Infrastructure 8 High fuel prices 8 Political corruption 7 Thefts 7 Drugs 6 Confessionalism 5 Medical treatment 5 Environmental pollution 5 Traffic 5

As with national challenges, for the purposes of analysis, the long list of community challenges in the volunteered responses are regrouped into categories in the graph below: 4. Major Problems Facing the Community, Regrouped

84%

50% 47% 44%

16% 11% 6%

Infrastructure Economic / Highcost of living

Economic /General

Social PoliticalOutcomes

Security PoliticalInstitutions

Major Problems or Challenges Facing Lebanon at the Community Level (Top of Mind - Volunteered Responses Regrouped)


Infrastructure-related issues are by far people’s main concerns for their communities, including everyday issues such as the lack of parking space. In contrast to what they mentioned at the national level, Lebanese are much less likely to name political and security issues as challenges for their communities. When they do, they relate them to national, not local politics. Conversely, they are much more likely to name a social challenge. Variations according to sub-categories of population

Confession

Different confessions5 rank national challenges in a similar order of priority, from infrastructure, social and economic issues as their main concerns down to security and political institutions perceived as least challenging. Differences are mostly variations in intensity. For instance, Shiites (92%) are more likely to say that infrastructure is a national challenge than Sunnis (69%), but this is the top concern of both confessions. (See table in Annex E for details) Region

Many cross-tabulations present a number of cases too small to be considered valid, which makes this more difficult to interpret. It is obvious however that infrastructure is the top concern in every governorate, with the exception of the Bekaa, whose main concern is the economy, and the South, which appears much more concerned with social issues. (See table in Annex E for details)

Gender & Age

Even more than at the national level, men and women share the same priorities.

A common sense of priorities also prevails among generations. The older generations appear however to be even more concerned by infrastructure while Lebanese under age 30 are more concerned with general economic issues, such as unemployment and poverty. (See table in Annex E for details) Other notable variations

The trend here is similar to what is observed at the national level. Urban citizens are more likely than their rural counterparts to cite infrastructure problems but less likely to mention economic challenges. Poor people are more likely to mention issues related to the high cost of living or infrastructure, but are less concerned about social challenges or security.

2. Social Problems and Challenges

The first, unprompted questions of the survey showed what issues are seen as most challenging by the Lebanese at the local and national levels. In order to gain a finer understanding of their views, the questionnaire then explored their views on a series of pre-determined issues.

The survey asked the Lebanese to rate a list of different social challenges by their degree of importance. As expected when a list of potential concerns is offered, many respondents rated all of them as very important. However, comparing the share of “very important” answers permits a

5 For all of the cross-tabulations, results are only reported in the text when there are large percentage difference and when the number of cases in each cell is relatively large. For this reason, few results on Druze are mentioned in the report text.


ranking of social issues based on how intensely the Lebanese feel about different issues and the salience of these issues among categories of population.

Among the social challenges asked about in the survey (see the questionnaire in Annex A for a full list) two challenges that mix social and political concerns rise to the top of the list. Nearly equal shares of the Lebanese say public infrastructure (electricity, water, roads) and corruption in society are very important social challenges, both with 95%. Both of these social challenges also figure prominently in the problems or challenges that Lebanese spontaneously named when asked about major problems in the country and in their community.

When asked about what they see as the single most important social challenge, similar concerns emerge, with drugs rising as the most often mentioned (27%) followed by corruption, sectarianism, food safety and infrastructure.

Resonating with observations made earlier, women feel more intensely than men about the importance of social issues, as expressed in the percentage of individuals who consider a given topic as being very important. Men and women show, however, few differences in the relative order of importance they give to various social issues. This is true also of different age groups. One exception is gender-based violence, to which men give less importance, both in absolute terms (78% against 92% for women) and in relative ranking (17th out of 21 topics while women see this as the 7th most important topic).

There is broad agreement across confessions on some social challenges. They are the types of issues that affect Lebanese regardless of their confession as a “pox on all houses” such as drugs, corruption, infrastructure, food safety and cooperation among different confessions. Cross-confessional differences in perceptions are more apparent for those challenges that involve the political system, such as sectarianism in society, citizenship values, democracy, or minority rights. When disaggregating by governorate, the most notable fact is that Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the North view most social issues with a significantly higher intensity than the South, Nabatieh and the Bekaa.

2.1 Very Important Social Problems and Challenges 5. Very Important Social Challenges


Confession

There is broad agreement across confessions on the importance of some social challenges, when looking at the order in which they rank the relative importance of a given list of social challenges and at the intensity of their feelings (as expressed in percentage of individuals who consider a given topic as

95% 95% 94% 94% 92% 91% 88% 87% 86% 86% 85%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100% Very Important Social Challenges


being very important). Large, nearly equal shares of all groups mention corruption in society, public infrastructure, drugs, food safety and health facilities as their top concerns. They also agree to see equality between men and women, lowering the right to vote under 21, women’ quota in parliament and smoking in public places as the things they care less about.

Other issues that they rank differently but on which they care with the same intensity are gender-based violence, violence against children and child labor. Such challenges are issues that hurt social groups that may be perceived as more vulnerable or worthy of protection, such as women and youth.

Some cross-confessional differences both in relative ranking and in intensity of feeling appear evident for those social problems that involve the political system: sectarianism in society, citizenship values, democracy, and minority rights -- although more than 80% of all groups view cooperation among groups of different confessions as being very important (see table 12 in attachment for details). (See table in Annex E for details) Region

As with confessions, there is broad agreement across confessions on the importance of some social challenges, when looking at the order in which they rank the relative importance of a given list of social challenges and at the intensity of their feelings. All governorates mention corruption in society, public infrastructure, drugs, food safety and health facilities as their top concerns. They also agree on seeing greater equality between men and women, lowering the voting age to under 21, establishing a quota for women in parliament, and smoking in public places as the things they care less about.

The main differences between governorates are in the level of intensity - as expressed in percentage of individuals who consider a given topic as being very important - with which they view social issues. Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the North view most topics with a higher intensity than the South, Nabatieh and the Bekaa.

Some issues that involve the political system also show cross-governorate differences in opinion both in terms of intensity and relative ranking, notably sectarianism in society, which is most worrisome to Lebanese in the North (94%), Mount Lebanon (91%) and Beirut (90%), but less so in the South (77%), Nabatieh (74%) and the Bekaa (73%). (See table in Annex E for details) Gender & Age

In line with observations made earlier, women feel overall more intensely than men about the importance of social issues. Men and women show, however, few differences in the relative order of importance they give to various social issues. For instance, 52% of men see a quota for women in parliament as a very important issue, putting it at the bottom of this list of 21 social topics, in decreasing order of importance. While 71% of women see this as a very important issue, it is the second before last in the way they rank those 21 topics. One exception is gender-based violence, to which men give less importance, both in absolute terms (78% against 92% for women) and in relative ranking (17th by decreasing order out of 21 topics against 7th for women).

There does not appear to be a generational gap among Lebanese on social issues. Similar shares from the different age groups agree on the importance of social challenges, in the same order of priority. This is true even for the right to vote for people under 21, equality between men and women and a quota for women in Parliament, perceived to be the least important of the list, whereas one could have expected youth to be less socially conservative. (See table in Annex E for details)


Other notable variations

Urban citizens tend to be more concerned in general by social issues than rural citizens. The poorer people are, the more importance they give to sectarianism, but the opposite is true when it comes to democracy, minority rights and citizenship values.

2.2 Most Important Social Problem or Challenge

When asked to name the single most important social challenge from the list of social challenges included on the survey questionnaire, 27% of all respondents mention drugs. It is noteworthy that drugs were mentioned spontaneously by only 2.9% of respondents when asked the unprompted questions that began the survey.

6. Most important social challenge

Variations according to sub-categories of population Confession

All confessional groups identify the same 5 most important social challenges, virtually all in the same order. All groups place drugs as their top concern, mentioned by 33% of Christians, 24% of Sunni and Shiites and 18% of Druze. (See table in Annex E for details) Region

Drugs is the most important social challenge in all governorates, designated by 33% of Lebanese living in the South (33%) to 21% of residents of Beirut.

There is very little regional variation on corruption in society and sectarianism in the top 5 most important social problems. Variations appear for the remaining two. Rather than naming public infrastructure in general, Beirut and the Bekaa are more specific by including health facilities. Bekaa, South and Nabatieh all include gender-based violence and exclude food safety. (See table in Annex E for details) Gender & Age

Men and women agree on drugs and corruption as the two most important social challenges. Some differences appear on sectarianism, seen as the most important challenge by 15% of men and 8% of women and on food safety (8% of men and 13% of women).

There are few differences between age groups on the most important social challenges. It is worth noting, however, that persons above the age of 65 are less concerned about drugs and more about corruption than younger generations. (See table in Annex E for details)

27%

16% 11% 10%

7%

Drugs Corruption in society Sectarianism in society Food safety Public infrastructure

Most Important Social Challenge



The views of employed vs. unemployed persons tend to mirror those, respectively, of men and women, probably because of the high proportion of women amongst unemployed persons.

3. Political Challenges Security, political stability and corruption top the hierarchy of most important concerns for the Lebanese, followed by armed political groups and internal conflicts. The Lebanese show also a high concern for the functioning of their political system and democratic rights and institutions: over 80% of the respondents see as very important issues such as freedom of expression, politicized judicial institutions and apoliticized media, as well as public participation in decision making and electoral reform.

Consistent with observations made earlier, men and women do not show significant differences in their appreciation of the importance of various political issues, with the exception of security being of higher concern to women. This is true also of different age groups. There is broad agreement across confessions on the fact that political stability, safety and security, and corruption are very important, although the attitude towards armed groups is markedly different. Cross-confessional differences in perceptions are more evident for those challenges that involve the political system: confessional system, electoral reform, and public participation in decision-making.

Regional differences follow a similar pattern, in line with the major confessional groups present in a given governorate. This seems to indicate that, on political issues, confessional belonging is the main driver behind variations in perceptions.

3.1 Very Important Political Challenges 7. Very important political challenges


Confession

There is broad agreement among confessions that political stability, corruption and safety and security are very important. Apart from these three topics, Shiites express their views with less intensity than other confessional groups: all 13 listed topics are viewed as very important by 82% or more of all Christians, Sunnis and Druzes, whereas only four issues are viewed as very important by 82% or more Shiites. All confessions also agree that electoral reform comes last in the importance they give to political issues.

97% 94% 93%

91%

87% 86% 85% 85% 84% 84% 84% 83%

80%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100% Very Important Political Challenges


Some variations appear in the relative ranking they give to other issues. Shiites appear to rank higher than other confessions the proliferation of small arms, freedom of expression and regional conflict, while they rank lower the politicization of media and judicial institutions. This relative ranking has however to be put in perspective. For instance, Christians place regional conflict as the last of the listed topics but 86% of them still view it as very important, whereas Shiites rank it 7th, with only 78% of them viewing it as very important. (See table in Annex E for details) Region

In all governorates, the issues considered very important by most people are the same: security and safety, corruption and political stability. Beyond those three issues, the main differences between governorates are in the level of intensity - as expressed in percentage of individuals who consider a given topic as being very important - with which they view political issues. More than 80% of the population of Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the North view all topics as being very important, whereas topics seen as very important by more than 80% of the population are only three for the South and five for Nabatieh and the Bekaa, mostly touching on security, corruption and political stability. The latter governorates appear to be less preoccupied with other political issues, such as the electoral reform, public participation in decision-making, politicized media and judiciary, etc.”, whether by nature or by reason of the main confessional groups who inhabit them.. . . (See table in Annex E for details) Gender & Age

Men and women are in close agreement on the degree of importance of political challenges and problems. As with gender, there are few differences among Lebanese of different age groups on the importance of political issues. Older Lebanese are somewhat more likely to identify small arms and armed political groups as very important political challenges than are Lebanese under age 30. (See table in Annex E for details)


Urban and high-income citizens are more likely than their rural and poorer counterparts to cite security issues such as armed political groups, proliferation of small arms, and regional conflict, as well as corruption.

3.2 Most Important Political Challenge

The ranking of issues named as the single most important political challenge mirrors the intensity with which the public deems an issue to be important. 8. Most Important Political Challenges

23% 18%

14% 10%

8%

Security and safety Political stability Corruption in thegovernment

Proliferation of smallarms

Armed political groups

Most Important Political Challenges



Confession

All confessional groups agree on the three most important political challenges. Differences appear on the following priorities, where Shiites appear the least concerned by armed political groups and Druze the least concerned by the proliferation of small arms. (See table in Annex E for details) Region

All confessional groups agree on the three most important political challenges. (See table in Annex E for details) Gender & Age

Men and women and all age groups agree on the three most important political challenges, as per Table 20. One can note that women (28%) are much more likely than men (17%) to name security and safety as the most important political issue. (See table in Annex E for details)

4. Economic Challenges

4.1 Very Important Economic Challenges

The Lebanese are nearly unanimous in their agreement across all types of socio-economic and demographic divisions that the cost of living, finding job opportunities and poverty are very important challenges for Lebanon.

Apart from other cost-related issues, it is notable that the emigration of Lebanon’s youth is very important to nine-of-ten Lebanese. (See table in Annex E for details) 9. Very Important Economic Challenges


Confession

Lebanese of all confessions generally share the same intensity of feeling on the importance of economic challenges. All agree that the cost of living, closely followed by finding job opportunities and poverty, are very important economic challenges, with similar levels of intensity. Christians and Sunnis appear more likely than Shiites to view the cost of housing and youth emigration as very important . (See table in Annex E for details)

98% 97% 97% 95% 93% 92% 90%

85%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%Very Important Economic Challenges


Region

As would be expected given the lack of differences in intensity of feelings among confessions, there are few differences when comparing Lebanese across governorates. Lebanese living in Beirut and Mount Lebanon are particularly more intense in their belief that the cost of housing is very important. This is not surprising given the rise in the housing prices in Beirut and its environs over the past decade. (See table in Annex E for details) Gender & Age

Men and women also share the same intensity of belief on economic challenges. The same holds for Lebanese of different generations. (See table in Annex E for details) Other notable variations

The only notable difference between urban and rural populations concerns the cost of housing, more relevant for urban residents. As can be expected on economic issues, variations appear between income brackets. The lower the income, the more importance is given to poverty and high cost of living.

4.2 – Most important economic challenge 10. Most Important Economic Challenge


Confession

All confessions share the same views of what are the most important economic challenges. One can note however that poverty as Lebanon’s most important economic challenge is most frequently named by Shiites at 30%, followed by Sunnis (25%) whereas it is of concern to only 20% of the Christians and 15% of Druze. (See table in Annex E for details) Region

While the order of priority does not change, differences are more apparent between governorates. Although poverty is the most important economic challenge nationally, residents of the Bekaa (41%) and the South (30%) are much more likely than those from other regions to say that poverty is the most important challenge. Residents of the North and Nabatieh are more likely than residents of Bekaa to cite finding job opportunities, while residents of Beirut and Mount Lebanon are more likely than residents of other regions to cite the cost of housing. (See table in Annex E for details)

24% 23%

18%

13%

8%

Poverty Finding job opportunities Cost of living Emigration among youth Cost of public services

Most Important Economic Challenge


Gender & Age

As with the other types of challenges, there is general agreement between men and women on which challenge is most important. Not surprisingly, younger Lebanese are more likely than older generations to say that finding job opportunities is the most important economic challenge. (See table in Annex E for details)


Unsurprisingly, the poorer the people are, the higher the proportion of persons mentioning poverty as their most important concern (from 33% down to 14% only for those in the highest income bracket).

5. Environmental Challenges

5.1 Very Important Environmental Challenges

Figure 11 shows, out of a list of environmental issues (see questionnaire in Annex A for a full list)., which ones are viewed as very important. While it shows that high percentages of respondents see environmental issues as very important, it is important to keep in mind that this in reaction to a proposed list. The Lebanese’s unprompted views on the most important challenges facing their country and their community did not include any environmental issues, with the exception of pollution, which emerged as a community-level concern for 5.2% of respondents

11. Very important environmental challenges


Confession & region

The main notable fact is that, on almost every environmental issue, Shiites appear less concerned than other confessions. This is largely due to the geographical distribution of different confessions, as can be seen in the cross-tabulations of environmental challenges by mouhafaza. (See table in Annex E for details)

There are few differences in the salience of environmental issues between men and women or between young and old. In general, the level of importance given to environmental issues increases with the level of income.

5.2 Most important Environmental Challenges

When asked to name one most important environmental challenge, Lebanese beliefs on economic and environmental challenges converge even further. Nearly one-in-four Lebanese say that the use of alternative energy sources is the most important environmental challenge, ranking first. Lebanese are

89% 88% 88% 86% 86%

81% 81%

73%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

Quarries Householdgarbage

management

Sewagerecycling

Deforestation Loss ofbiodiversity

Beachpollution

Use ofalternative

energysources

Climatechange

Very Important Environmental Challenges


concerned about high fuel prices and electricity supply and are thus concerned with alternative energy sources. 12. Most Important Environmental Challenges


The only noticeable variations appear when disaggregating by region, which is not surprising for environmental topics. (See table in Annex E for details)

24%

18% 17% 14% 14%

Use of alternative energy sources Quarries Deforestation Household garbage management Sewage recycling

Most Important Environmental Challenges


ATTITUDES TOWARDS INSTITUTIONS, CITIZENSHIP, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

6. Vulnerable Groups Respondents were asked to name from a list two groups they saw as most vulnerable. Homosexuals were included in this list, which may explain their relatively high score. Old and poor persons were not but were spontaneously mentioned by respondents, which explains their relatively low score.

Christians are less likely to cite refugees (14%) than Sunnis and Shiites (34 and 31% respectively). Whereas women were more likely than men to cite themselves as the most vulnerable group (45% vs. 25%). Youth were less likely to see themselves as a most vulnerable group than were older generations. 13. Vulnerable Groups

7. Making a Difference A majority of Lebanese believe that they cannot make a difference regarding the challenges they had identified. They feel only marginally more confident that they can make a change at the community than at the national level. Age, sex, income level or region do not influence responses, while Shiites appear less confident in their capacity to make a large difference than other confessions. It is notable that youth does not appear to be more confident than older generations. 14. Making a Difference

8. Confidence in Institutions to Solve Problems and Representativeness of Institutions As shown in the two graphs below, the Lebanese demonstrate a very contrasted attitude towards institutions. They mention security as one of their top national concerns and trust the institution in charge, namely the Armed Forces. To a lesser extent, the same is true from other institutions linked to security and law enforcement: General Security and Internal Security Forces (ISF). Civil society

60% 53%

34% 24%

8% 8% 2% 1%

People withspecial needs

Youth Women Refugees Old persons Homosexuals Poor persons No answer

Vulnerable Groups

53%

25% 16%

6% 1%

61%

21% 13%

5% 1%

I can’t make a change I can somewhat make achange

I can make an averagechange

I can make a big change. Don’t know, no answer

Making a difference

Community level National Level


organizations (CSOs) are the second most trusted institutions, after the Armed Forces, which seems to show that the Lebanese trust CSOs to deliver what the government cannot do and only have a high level of confidence in one governmental institution. Indeed, they distrust to a high level the national government, the parliament and political parties, which should be the institutions in charge of responding to their concerns regarding economy or political instability.

When asked about the institutions that best represent their interests, only the Lebanese Armed Forces maintain their high score while CSOs’ score decreases markedly and other institutions are hardly considered to be representative. It is striking that, while 48% show confidence to some level in the local government, only 10% view it as one of the institutions that best represents their interests. Citizens simply do not seem to feel that their interests are adequately taken into account. This suggests a strong disconnect between the citizenry and the institutions meant to respond to their concerns.

15. Degree of Confidence in Institutions

16. Representativeness of institutions

Regional variations

All the major confessions seem to have a great deal of confidence in the Lebanese Armed Forces, however Christians were more likely to cite them (86%) whereas Sunnis were least likely to do so (77%). Shiites seem to have the least confidence in the ISF (39%) whereas Sunnis have the most confidence (50%). Shiites have the largest deal of confidence in the parliament (23%) and General Security (57%) compared to 40% of Christians. Generally, it appears that different confessional groups

82%

54% 46% 44%

20% 18% 12% 10% 8% 4%

11% 14% 20%

34% 39%

45%

54% 60%

LebaneseArmed Forces


(NGOs)

GeneralSecurity


(InternalSecurity

Forces (ISF))

The JudicialSystem


Theparliament

Politicalparties

Government

Degree of Confidence in Institutions Great deal of confidenceNo confidence

83%

35%

17% 15% 15% 10%

Lebanese ArmedForces


(NGOs)

General Security Lebanese eliteforces



Institution Representativeness


have a higher degree of confidence in the security institutions that are perceived to be dominated by their sect (LAF for Christians, ISF for Sunnis, and General Security for Shiites).

Lebanese from all governorates have a great deal of trust in the armed forces, but such trust is nearly universal in the South and somewhat lower in Beirut and Nabatieh. This may have some relationship to the fact that the Lebanese Armed Forces have been deployed in the South in large numbers since the end of the 2006 July War as part of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Lebanese that live in the South are more likely than residents of other regions to trust political parties, the national government and the parliament. Residents of Mount Lebanon are more likely to trust their local government than are residents of Beirut and other regions. Residents of Nabatieh and South have somewhat less trust in the ISF than residents of other governorates.

Civil society organizations enjoy high levels of trust throughout the country, but this trust declines significantly among Lebanese living in Bekaa. It is highest in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Druze on the other hand have the greatest deal of confidence in civil society (67%), compared to 58% of both Christians and Sunnis, and 40% for Shiites.

(See Annex E for details) Other variations

People living in urban areas are more likely to cite a great deal of confidence in the Lebanese Armed Forces than people living in rural areas (83 vs 76%). They are also more likely to cite a great deal of confidence in CSOs (56 vs 40%). The same applies to high vs. low-income populations.

Age, sex or employment status do not appear to influence the respondents’ opinions.

9. Political parties and elections 58% of respondents declare that no party reflects their opinions. An additional 6% declined to answer the question. It is difficult to determine whether this is due to a reluctance to share this information with a surveyor or whether they feel genuinely alienated from political parties. Men are more likely to cite affiliation with a political party, where 13% have cited that they are current members in a political group compared to 5% of women.

Intention to vote in the next parliamentary elections

Shiites are more likely to vote in the forthcoming elections at 67%, as compared to 61% of Christians and merely 53% of Sunnis.

Despite the fact that women equally participated in the last municipal and parliamentary elections, they are less likely to cite their will to participate in the upcoming elections (57%) compared to 63% of men.

10. Civil Society Organizations Although more than half of all Lebanese say they have a great deal or some confidence in civil society organizations to solve the country’s major problems and more than a third say that these organizations best represent their interests, 16.5% of them were unable to mention a single name of a CSO.

The Lebanese Red Cross is the most frequently mentioned, followed by a number of charities with nation-wide or local coverage. The most frequently cited CSOs are those that are known for both their presence in the media and their relief work. Advocacy-oriented NGOs and political foundations are


only mentioned by very few respondents, although most of them would have been recognized if they had been cited by name in the questionnaire.

The Lebanese could name many civil society organizations, but seem to either not know which organizations’ views and interests are closest to their own or feel that none reflect such views, with the exception of the Red Cross. All of this appears to indicate that the view of CSOs is one of worthy organizations, dedicated to relief work but that they are not perceived or known for their capacity to advocate on citizen’s concerns.

Regardless of their lack of knowledge about exactly what these organizations believe and do, Lebanese confidence in civil society organizations, as noted above, is strong. They believe that their initiatives to address challenges in their country are successful and effective. Lebanese support these initiatives—84% say this while only 14% say that they do not support CSO initiatives. 17. Civil Society Organizations’ Success and Effectiveness

Christians have the highest share of belief that CSO initiatives to address challenges in Lebanon are successful/effective (62%) whereas Shiites have the least (37%). Urban areas are more likely to cite that CSOs are effective in addressing challenges (54 vs 47%) than rural areas.

Among the 84% of all Lebanese who say that they support civil society initiatives, making a donation or providing financial support is the most common way of showing their support—two-thirds (68%) of all who support civil society initiatives say they do so financially. Much lower shares of the population say that they participate in their activities (17%) or volunteer with the organizations (14%).

Christians have the highest share of supporting CSO initiatives to address challenges in Lebanon (91%) whereas Shiites have the least (72%). Urban residents are more likely to support initiatives than rural residents (85 vs 74%). 18. Type of Support for Civil Society Initiatives

This low level of active participation, rather than financial participation, is not surprising, since only 6% say that they are a member of a civil society organization. Note that youth are more likely to support NGO initiatives through volunteering and participation in activities (22.5% compared to 14% of adults).

53%

28%

10% 6% 3%

Very successful andeffective

Somewhat successfuland effective

Not very successful andeffective

Not successful andeffective at all

Don’t know, no answer

Civil Society Organizations’ Success and Effectiveness

14%

68%

17% 1% 0% 1%

Volunteering Donation/financialsupport

Participating intheir activities

Moral support Praying Don’t know, no answer

Type of Support for Civil Society Initiatives


11. Cross-confessional relations While sectarianism in society and confessionalism are seen as a major issue confronting the country, most Lebanese are willing to cooperate with individuals and groups from different confessions to address problems on the community level (89%) and the national level (88%). Sunnis and Druze are more likely to be willing to cooperate with individuals/groups from different confessions as compared to 86% of Christians. However, as seen in the table below, dialogue is by far the mode of engagement they would consider and few would go farther to participate in joint activities. 19. Types of Cooperation across Confessions

This willingness to cooperate across confessions may be related to the basis upon which Lebanese develop relationships with others. As seen in the table below, most Lebanese develop relationships based on proximity: through neighborhoods, workplaces or school. Only 3% say they develop relationships based on shared political views. This is consistent with their views of political parties. 20. Basis of Cooperation across Confessions

80%

16% 3% 1% 0%

Engaging in dialogue tofind solutions to

common problems

Participation in jointactivities

Money contribution Don’t know, no answer Other

Types of Cooperation across Confessions

49%

18% 10%

5% 3% 2% 2% 2%

Neighbors Colleagues atwork

School/collegefriends

Humanism Share yourpolitical views

Depending onthe treatmentof the other

person

Share yourconfession

Friendship

Basis of Cooperation across Confessions


MEDIA USAGE

12. Media Use and Information Sources Lebanese are mostly consumers of television, with 89% watching TV daily. Other types of media are used much less frequently. Interestingly, if one does not take into account cell phones, the second most consumed media is internet, with radio a distant third. The graph below shows how much printed press is now ignored by the population.

As could be expected, youth are more likely to cite using the internet on a daily basis as compared to older age groups (67% vs. 25%). The same applies to phone usage (96% vs. 86%). While no significant difference was noted across all confessions on watching television and using the internet, Shiites are less likely to listen to the radio (13%), with at least 12 percentage points difference with Sunnis and Druze and 20 points with Christians. 21. Media Use

When asked about the frequency of different media sources for information, television again comes out on top, followed by internet. Radio or print media do not appear to be used significantly as sources of information. 22. Frequency as a Source of Information

89% 87%

41%

27%

11% 8% 2%

8% 16% 15%

3% 11%

51% 57%

74%

Watch TV Use a cell phone Use the internet Listen to the radio Read the newspaper


85%

66%

33%

21%

3% 12%

24% 29%

42%

16%

2% 10%

37% 38%

80%

TV Internet Radio stations Daily Newspaper Magazines andweekly newspapers



As can be seen from the graphs below, the almost unique source of information about national or local matters is television. 23. National-Level Sources of Information

24. Local Sources of Information

The ranking and frequency of usaege of sources for local information mirrors to a large degree that of national information sources. 25. Media Outlets Used for National Information

86%

7% 3% 2% 2% 1%

Local TV Internet Regional / International TV Other Local newspapers Radio

Source of information you use the most on the national level

70%

7% 6% 6% 4% 3% 3% 2%

Local TV Other Neighbours Internet People FriendsDon’t know, no answer SMS

Source of information you use the most in your region

23% 21%

17% 15%

8% 8% 6%

2% 2% 1%

National Information Source


26. Media Outlets used for Local Information

13. Usage of internet Internet users employ the internet for a number of functions, mostly social networking, research, email and chatting. Interestingly, 60% use internet to obtain news, a share higher than for more traditional media like radio or printed press. 27. Connecting to the Internet – Uses

28. Social Media Sites

22% 22%

15% 13%

9% 9%

5% 3% 3%

New TV LBCI MTV Other Manar TV Future TV OTV Don’t know, no answer

NBN

Regional Information Source

3.50% 12%

39%

60%

82% 83% 84% 86%

moneytransfer/Banking

shopping playing games News obtaining Chatting Email checking Research Social networks

For what purposes do you use the Internet?

97%

24% 11% 11% 4% 2% 4%

Facebook MSN Twitter Whatsapp Skype Youtube Other

Which social networks do you use ?


SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS AND SURVEY METHODOLOGY Age

By design, the sample is made equally of men and women. Educational Attainment6

36% of the respondents declared themselves to be unemployed.

6 Because the survey included Lebanese age 16 and older, the survey respondents’ level of education is lower than it would be if only adults over age 25 were included. This is because a share of respondents ages 16 – 25 may not have completed their education.

16-29, 40%

30-64, 54%

65 and above,

7%

Age Group

12%

31%

37%

17%

3% 1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Illiterate /Elementary

Intermediate High school /Technical degree

University degree Higher education No answer

Highest Educational Level Attained

39%

15% 11% 10% 8% 8%

4% 3% 2% 0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45% Current Occupation (if employed)


Confession

Note: those percentages were determined to align the sample on data obtained from the latest electoral lists. They do not necessarily reflect the actual breakdown of the population.

41%

34%

5% 5% 4% 4% 3% 3% 2%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

Freelancer Housewife Other Servicesworkers andsales persons

in shops

Student Technicians and

specialized assistants

(teachers…)

Workers inhandcraftsand similar

jobs

Writers Armed forces (army,

general forces…)

Previous Occupation (if not employed)

39%

27% 26%

8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Confession


Marital Status

Number of Individuals Living in Household

Family Monthly Income

Married, 55%

Single, 41%

Divorced, 3%

Marital Status

3%

13%

18%

26%

20%

11%

5%

2% 2%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ≥9

Number of individuals living in the same household

1%

7%

37% 36%

16%

3%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%

No answer Less than500 USD

501-1,000USD

1,001-2,000USD

2,001-3,000USD

More than3,001 USD

Family monthly income


14. Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted by means of implementing a “door to door” activity using a directive questionnaire as well as the PPS sampling technique. Sample Overview:

The sample size of the PACE baseline survey is n=2000 respondents, they have the following characteristics:

• Distributed proportionally over all the Lebanese regions • Selected proportionally from all major sects • Include all social classes (A: highest social class, B: medium class and C: lowest social class) • Aged 16 years and above • Non-Lebanese citizens are excluded • Equally split between males and females.

The sample distribution is according to the following chart:

Error Analysis: There are 2 types of errors:

• Sampling error: using probability sampling, it is calculated according to this formula E= 1.96*sqrt(P*(1-P)/n)* sqrt (deff); where: n=2000 P=0.5 Deff=1.5 E=+/-2.24% Sampling error calculated per region:


2004 Official Breakdown by Mouhafaza Mouhafaza Population (N) % Sample (n) Sampling Error Beirut 390,503 10.40% 216 6.80% Mount Lebanon 1,501,569 39.99% 800 3.54% North 768,709 20.47% 409 4.94% Beqaa 471,209 12.55% 251 6.31% South 623,043 16.59% 324 5.56% Lebanon 3,755,033 100.00% 2000 2.24% Sampling error calculated per sect: Sect Population (N) % Sample (n) Sampling Error Christians 1, 477,605 39.35% 787 3.56% Sunna 1,006,349 26.80% 536 4.32% Shiite 987,574 26.30% 526 4.36% Druze 283,505 7.55% 151 8.14% Lebanon 3,755,033 100.00% 2000 2.24%

• Non-sampling error has many sources such as the following: o Interviewer bias o Improper design of questionnaire o Respondent is not in the right mood for answering questions (some respondents may

not answer accurately or in a manner that reflects the true value of the variable). • Control for non-sampling error by:

o Rigorous training of field surveyors o Intensive explanation of survey questionnaire.

Data Collection:

Fieldwork commenced on March 7th and ended on April 3rd 2012, it took a period of 20 days. It was implemented by field surveyors who received training upon recruiting by Statistics Lebanon and were also trained on this survey questionnaire; their data collection activity was executed under the direct supervision of their respective team leaders.

During data collection, back checking activities were continuous to verify the collected data. Back checking activities were:

• Call backs • Field re-interviewing: 21% of completed questionnaires • Telephone re-interviewing: 30% of completed questionnaires • Accompanying field surveyors: 10-15% • Logic checks of all questionnaires.

During the fieldwork execution some problems were encountered, however. These didn’t affect the overall process. Some of the encountered problems are:

• Low rate of non-response from potential respondents:


Overall non-response rate Successful calls

(Number of successful interviews divided by number of attempts made)

Questionnaires completed (i.e. successful attempts)

TOTAL (raw numbers) 541 2000 TOTAL (%) 21.29% 78.71% REGION An Nabatiyeh 48 118 An Nabatiyeh (%) 28.92% 71.08% Beirut 46 216 Beirut (%) 17.56% 82.44% Beqaa 34 251 Beqaa (%) 11.93% 88.07% Mount Lebanon 225 800 Mount Lebanon (%) 21.95% 78.05% North Lebanon 95 409 North Lebanon (%) 18.85% 81.15% South Lebanon 93 206 South Lebanon (%) 31.10% 68.90% URBAN / RURAL Urban locations 482 1764 Urban locations (%) 21.46% 78.54% Rural locations 59 236 Rural locations (%) 20.00% 80.00% GENDER Male 300 1000 Male (%) 23.08% 76.92% Female 241 1000 Female (%) 19.42% 80.58%

• Some respondents reported that the questionnaire was too long • In some cases, the field surveyors were taking more time to finish certain clusters because of

the Kish grid specifications: o Male-female issue o Absence of some respondents who were obtained from the Kish Grid selection process.

Data Processing and Analysis:

In parallel with the data collection procedure, data entry was implemented by data entry officers at Statistics Lebanon. Following that, the survey findings were analyzed statistically where the data was cross tabulated to be later analyzed.


ANNEX A – SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 1. In your opinion what are the major problems/challenges currently facing Lebanon at the national

level? (Top of mind)

2. In your opinion what are the major problems/challenges currently facing your community? (Top of mind)

3. I will read to you a number of social challenges that Lebanon is facing, please tell me to what

extent you think they are important? Challenges Very

important Somewhat important

Not very important

Not important

at all

Don’t know,

no answer

Drugs 1 2 3 4 99 Gender based violence 1 2 3 4 99 Violence against children 1 2 3 4 99 Child labor 1 2 3 4 99 Smoking Effects on Health in public places

1 2 3 4 99

Disrespect for traffic regulations 1 2 3 4 99 Human trafficking (illegal trade of individuals)

1 2 3 4 99

Sectarianism in society 1 2 3 4 99 citizenship values 1 2 3 4 99 democracy 1 2 3 4 99 minority rights 1 2 3 4 99 Corruption in society 1 2 3 4 99 Public infrastructure (electricity, water, roads…)

1 2 3 4 99

public services: garbage collection

1 2 3 4 99

public services: public transportation

1 2 3 4 99

health facilities 1 2 3 4 99 Food safety 1 2 3 4 99 Women’s quota in parliament 1 2 3 4 99 Equality among men and women

1 2 3 4 99

Right of youth under 21 to vote 1 2 3 4 99 Cooperation among individuals/groups from different confessions

1 2 3 4 99


4. Among the above, please name 1 challenge that you consider as the most important: Specify: 5. I will read to you a number of political challenges that Lebanon is facing, please tell me to what



Not very important

Not important

at all


Political stability 1 2 3 4 99 security and safety 1 2 3 4 99 Proliferation of small arms 1 2 3 4 99 Armed political groups 1 2 3 4 99 internal conflicts 1 2 3 4 99 regional conflict/war 1 2 3 4 99 Confessional political system 1 2 3 4 99 Electoral reform 1 2 3 4 99 Public participation in decision making

1 2 3 4 99

Politicized judicial institutions 1 2 3 4 99 Corruption in the government 1 2 3 4 99 Politicized Media 1 2 3 4 99 freedom of expression 1 2 3 4 99 6. Among the above, please name 1 challenge that you consider as the most important: Specify: 7. I will read to you a number of economic challenges that Lebanon is facing, please tell me to what



Not very important

Not important

at all


Poverty 1 2 3 4 99 Finding job opportunities 1 2 3 4 99 Cost of housing 1 2 3 4 99 cost of living 1 2 3 4 99 Cost of education 1 2 3 4 99 Emigration among youth 1 2 3 4 99 Food safety (food availability and variety)

1 2 3 4 99

Cost of public services (electricity, communications…)

1 2 3 4 99

8. Among the above, please name 1 challenge that you consider as the most important: Specify:


9. I will read to you a number of environmental challenges that Lebanon is facing, please tell me to

what extent you think they are important? Challenges Very


Not very important

Not important

at all


Use of alternative energy sources 1 2 3 4 99 Household garbage management 1 2 3 4 99 Sewage recycling 1 2 3 4 99 Climate change 1 2 3 4 99 Deforestation 1 2 3 4 99 Quarries 1 2 3 4 99 Beach pollution 1 2 3 4 99 Loss of biodiversity 1 2 3 4 99 10. Among the above, please name 1 challenge that you consider as the most important: Specify: 11. As an individual, to what extent do you feel you can make a difference at the community level on

the main challenges you have identified? I can make a big

change I can make an

average change I can somewhat make a change

I can’t make a change


1 2 3 4 99 12. As an individual, to what extent do you feel you can make a difference at the national level on the

main challenges you have identified? I can make a big

change I can make an

average change I can somewhat make a change

I can’t make a change


1 2 3 4 99 13. In your opinion, who are the most vulnerable groups in Lebanon? (2 answers) Women 1 Youth 2 Refugees 3 Homosexuals 4 People with special needs 5 Other, specify: ______________________________ 7 Don’t know, no answer 99


14. I am going to name some institutions in Lebanon. Would you say you have great deal of confidence, some confidence, not very much confidence, no confidence at all in them to solve the problems identified above? (Read institutions one by one)

Items Great deal of confidence

Some confidence

Not very much

confidence

No confidence


a. Government 1 2 3 4 99 b. Local/city government 1 2 3 4 99 c. Lebanese Armed Forces 1 2 3 4 99 d. Police/law enforcement 1 2 3 4 99 e. The Judicial System 1 2 3 4 99 f. The parliament 1 2 3 4 99 g. Political parties 1 2 3 4 99 h. Civil Society organizations

(NGOs) 1 2 3 4 99

i. General Security 99 4 3 2 1 العام األمن 15. Which of these better represents your interests? (2 answers)

Items

a. Government 1 b. Local/city government 2 c. Lebanese Armed Forces 3 d. Police/law enforcement 5 e. The Judicial System 6 f. The parliament 7 g. Political parties 8 h. Civil Society organizations (NGOs) 9 i. General Security 10 العام األمن No answer 99 16. What is the political party that reflects your opinion and your political orientation? Specify: _______________________________ Don’t know, no answer 99 17. Name 5 NGOs/CSOs in Lebanon currently. 1 2 3 4 5 Don’t know, no answer 99 18. Which of the above best reflects your views and interests? Specify: Don’t know, no answer 99


19. Do you think that CSOs/NGOs initiatives to address challenges in Lebanon are successful/effective? Very successful

and effective Somewhat

successful and effective

Not very successful and

effective

Not successful and effective at

all


1 2 3 4 99 20. Do you support these initiatives? Yes 1 No 2 Don’t know, no answer 99

21. If the answer is yes, how do you support them? (many answers) Volunteering 1 Donation/financial support 2 Participating in their activities 3 Other, specify: _______________________________________________ 4 Don’t know, no answer 99 22. Are you a member of any CSO/NGO in Lebanon? Yes 1 No 2 No answer 99 23. In case the answer was yes, name the NGO/CSO? Specify: _________________________________________________ Don’t know, no answer 99 24. Are you a member of any political party/movement in Lebanon? Yes 1 No 2 No answer 99 25. Are you willing to cooperate with individuals/groups from different confessions than yours to

address problems on the community level? Yes 1 No 2 Don’t know, no answer 99 26. Are you willing to cooperate with individuals/groups from different confessions than yours to

address problems on the national level? Yes 1 No 2 Don’t know, no answer 99 27. If your answer is yes, what type of cooperation? (1 answer) Engaging in dialogue to find solutions to common problems 1 Money contribution 2 Participation in joint activities 3 Other, specify: ________________________________________________ 5 Don’t know, no answer 99


28. On what basis do you develop relationships with others? (1 answer) The fact that they are your neighbors 1 The fact that they are your colleagues at work 2 The fact that they share your confession 3 The fact that they are your school/college friends 4 The fact that they share your political views Don’t know, no answer 99 29. Did you vote in the last Municipal elections 2010? Yes 1 No 2 No answer 99 30. Did you vote in the last Parliamentary elections 2009? Yes 1 No 2 No answer 99 31. Do you plan to vote in the next parliamentary elections? Yes 1 No 2 Don’t know, no answer 99 32. How many times do you …

Habits Daily 4-5

times/week 2-3

times/week Once/ week

Less Don’t use

Don’t know,

no answer

Watch TV 1 2 3 4 5 6 99 Listen to the radio 1 2 3 4 5 6 99 Use the internet 1 2 3 4 5 6 99 Use a cell phone 1 2 3 4 5 6 99 Read the newspaper

1 2 3 4 5 6 99

33. Generally, you get your source of information … Daily Many

times/week Many

times/month Rarely Don’t

follow at all


TV 1 2 3 4 5 99 Daily newspapers 1 2 3 4 5 99 Magazines and weekly newspapers

1 2 3 4 5 99

Radio stations 1 2 3 4 5 99 Internet 1 2 3 4 5 99


34. Which source of information do you use the most on the national level? (1 answer) Local TV 1 Regional / International TV 2 Radio 3 Local newspapers 4 Magazines and weekly newspapers 5 Internet 6 SMS 7 Other, specify: _________________________________________________ 8 Don’t know, no answer 99 35. Name the source (TV channel title (local/international), radio station name, web page, newspaper

name…) Specify: _________________________________________________________ Don’t know, no answer 99 36. Which source of information do you use the most in your region? (1 answer) Local TV 1 Regional / International TV 2 Radio 3 Local newspapers 4 Magazines and weekly newspapers 5 Internet 6 SMS 7 Other, specify: _________________________________________________ 8 Don’t know, no answer 99 37. Name the source (TV channel title (local/international), radio station name, web page, newspaper

name…) Specify: _________________________________________________________ Don’t know, no answer 99 38. (If the respondent uses the internet), where do you connect to the internet?

Yes No Don’t know, no answer Computer at home 1 2 99 Computer at school/work 1 2 99 Computer at a cafe 1 2 99 Cell phone 1 2 99 Other, specify: ________ 1 2 99 39. (If the respondent uses the internet, in previous question), for what purposes?

Purposes Yes No Don’t know, no answer

Email 1 2 99 Chatting 1 2 99 Use of social networks (facebook, twitter, high 5…) 1 2 99 Research 1 2 99 News obtaining 1 2 99 Playing games 1 2 99 Shopping 1 2 99


Banking issues and money transfers 1 2 99 Other, Specify: _______________________________________

1 2 99

40. If the respondent uses social networks, what are they? 1. Contact with friends

2. Meet new people and socialize 3. Promoting certain views and ideas 4. Get news 5. Marketing a product or service 6. Professional networking 7. Other specify: ____________________

1. Contact with friends 2. Meet new people and socialize 3. Promoting certain views and ideas 4. Get news 5. Marketing a product or service 6. Professional networking Other specify: ____________________




41. If the respondents uses cell phones, for what reason? Yes No No answer Phone calls 1 2 99 Texting 1 2 99 Connect to the internet 1 2 99 Games 1 2 99 Money transfer 1 2 99 Access to social networks 1 2 99 Other, specify: ______________________ 1 2 99


Demographics 42. How old are you? Specify: __________ 43. Sex: Male 1 Female 2 44. Your highest educational level attained: Illiterate 1 Elementary 2 Intermediate 3 High school 4 Technical degree 5 University degree 6 Higher education 7 No answer 99 45. Are you currently employed? Yes 1 No 2 No answer 99 46. What is the current occupation?

Occupation Categories Employed Previous Occupation (for those who are

unemployed) Legislators, top managers, directors 1 1 Specialized (doctors, architects…) 2 2 Technicians and specialized assistants (teachers…) 3 3 Writers 4 4 Services workers and sales persons in shops 5 5 Skilled workers in agriculture 6 6 Workers in handcrafts and similar jobs 7 7 Machine operators and assemblers 8 8 Primary profession-laborers (house-keeping, doormen, drivers…)

9 9

Armed forces (army, general forces…) 10 10 Retired 12 12 Freelancer 13 13 Housewife 14 14 Student 15 15 No answer 99 99 Never worked 11 47. Confession: Christians 1 Sunni 5


Chiaa 6 Druze 7 No answer 99 48. Social status: Single 1 Married 2 Divorced 3 Widow 4 No answer 99 49. What is the number of individuals living in the same household? Specify: __________________________________ 50. What is the family monthly income? Less than 500 USD 1 501-1,000 USD 2 1,001-2,000 USD 3 2,001-3,500 USD 4 More than 3,501 USD 5 No answer 99

51. Social class: Social class A 1 Social class B 2 Social class C 3 Social class D 99


ANNEX B – List of major problems at the national level

Responses Percent of

Cases

N Percent N q1(a) High cost of living 630 11.2% 31.5%

Electricity problems 396 7.1% 19.8% Unemployment 380 6.8% 19.0% Economic situation 464 8.3% 23.2% Confessionalism 280 5.0% 14.0% Poverty 214 3.8% 10.7% Security situation 439 7.8% 22.0% Political situation 582 10.4% 29.1% Political corruption 312 5.6% 15.6% Water problems 85 1.5% 4.3% Israeli menace 113 2.0% 5.7% Drugs 58 1.0% 2.9% Bad roads 50 .9% 2.5% Thefts 8 .1% .4% Medical treatment 76 1.4% 3.8% Pollution 78 1.4% 3.9% Electoral reforms 35 .6% 1.8% Emigration 55 1.0% 2.8% High fuel prices 124 2.2% 6.2% Traffic 43 .8% 2.2% Regional situation 52 .9% 2.6% Infrastructure 22 .4% 1.1% Foreign interventions 114 2.0% 5.7% Lack of morals 58 1.0% 2.9% International tribunal 15 .3% .8% Absence of the state 74 1.3% 3.7% Deterioration of the food 101 1.8% 5.1% Food safety 45 .8% 2.3% Transportation 15 .3% .8% High cost of education 41 .7% 2.1% Nepotism 34 .6% 1.7% Low salaries 37 .7% 1.9% Extraction of oil 28 .5% 1.4% War 17 .3% .9% Civil war 9 .2% .5% Illegal arms 83 1.5% 4.2% Sectarian Political system 16 .3% .8% Hezbollah arms 20 .4% 1.0% Syrian situation 77 1.4% 3.9% Demarcation of the border

14 .2% .7%

Murder 20 .4% 1.0% Political parties 11 .2% .6% Social situation 32 .6% 1.6% High cost of communications 13 .2% .7%


United states 5 .1% .3% Radicalism 21 .4% 1.1% Lack of democracy 9 .2% .5% Iran 2 .0% .1% Traffic accidents 5 .1% .3% Ensure aging 8 .1% .4% High cost of real estate 8 .1% .4% Women's rights 3 .1% .2% The absence of national reconciliation 6 .1% .3%

Divorce 1 .0% .1% Residence crisis 17 .3% .9% Ignorance 4 .1% .2% Breakdown of family 2 .0% .1% Lack of development projects 41 .7% 2.1%

Lack of national unity 54 1.0% 2.7% Presidency 2 .0% .1% March 8 leader 6 .1% .3% Palestinian camps 3 .1% .2% Traitors 5 .1% .3% The judiciary system 19 .3% 1.0% Foreign workers 4 .1% .2% High taxes 2 .0% .1% No answer 9 .2% .5%

Total 5606 100.0% 280.3%


ANNEX C- List of major problems at the community level

Responses

Percent of Cases

N Percent N q2(a) High cost of living 628 12.0% 31.4%

Electricity problems 717 13.7% 35.9% Unemployment 441 8.5% 22.1% Bad economic situation 169 3.2% 8.5% Confessionalism 105 2.0% 5.3% Poverty 262 5.0% 13.1% Security situation 173 3.3% 8.7% Political situation 79 1.5% 4.0% Political corruption 140 2.7% 7.0% Water problems 229 4.4% 11.5% Israeli menace 16 .3% .8% Drugs 124 2.4% 6.2% Bad roads 197 3.8% 9.9% Thefts 135 2.6% 6.8% Medical treatment 104 2.0% 5.2% Environmental Pollution 103 2.0% 5.2% Emigration 53 1.0% 2.7% High fuel prices 154 3.0% 7.7% Traffic 102 2.0% 5.1% Regional situation 1 .0% .1% Infrastructure 167 3.2% 8.4% Foreign interventions 1 .0% .1% Lack of morals 179 3.4% 9.0% International tribunal 1 .0% .1% Absence of the state 25 .5% 1.3% Deterioration of the food 62 1.2% 3.1% Food safety 41 .8% 2.1% Transportation 33 .6% 1.7% High cost of education 44 .8% 2.2% Nepotism 19 .4% 1.0% Low salaries 58 1.1% 2.9% War 2 .0% .1% Civil war 3 .1% .2% Illegal arms 4 .1% .2% Sectarian Political system 6 .1% .3% Hezbollah arms 1 .0% .1% Syrian situation 1 .0% .1% Murder 22 .4% 1.1% Political parties 9 .2% .5% Social situation 17 .3% .9% High cost of communications 7 .1% .4%

Lack of political reforms 1 .0% .1% Radicalism 16 .3% .8% Lack of democracy 2 .0% .1% Traffic accidents 17 .3% .9%


Ensure aging 11 .2% .6% High cost of real estate 13 .2% .7% Women's rights 6 .1% .3% The absence of national reconciliation 22 .4% 1.1%

No parking areas 52 1.0% 2.6% Smoking 1 .0% .1% Divorce 11 .2% .6% Residence crisis 34 .7% 1.7% Ignorance 24 .5% 1.2% Breakdown of family 37 .7% 1.9% Lack of development projects 72 1.4% 3.6%

Lack of national unity 2 .0% .1% March 14 leader 1 .0% .1% Palestinian camps 7 .1% .4% Traitors 8 .2% .4% The judiciary system 4 .1% .2% Foreign workers 11 .2% .6% High taxes 3 .1% .2% Lack of hospitals 10 .2% .5% Smoking 15 .3% .8% Waste management problem 49 .9% 2.5%

Lack of entertainment places 7 .1% .4%

Cutting trees 2 .0% .1% High cost of marriage 7 .1% .4% Not supporting agriculture 3 .1% .2% Stress 11 .2% .6% Homeless children 2 .0% .1% Increase in population 5 .1% .3% Noise 12 .2% .6% Working of children 4 .1% .2% Far away from the city 4 .1% .2% Sewer system 14 .3% .7% Future of youth 4 .1% .2% Lack of universities 4 .1% .2% Carelessness of municipality 15 .3% .8%

Slow internet service 3 .1% .2% Feudalism 1 .0% .1% Not supporting tourism 1 .0% .1% No answer 20 .4% 1.0% None 35 .7% 1.8%

Total 5217 100.0% 260.9%


ANNEX D-REGROUPING OF TOPICS SOCIAL

• Drugs • Emigration • Lack of morals • Deterioration of food • Food safety • Theft • Murder • Social situation (unspecified) • Ensure aging • Women’s rights • Divorce • Residence crisis • Ignorance • Breakdown of family • Pollution • Immigration • Smoking • Lack of development projects • Lack of hospitals • Lack of entertainment places • Cutting trees • Stress • Homelessness • Increase in population • Noise • Child labor • Far away from tehcity • Future of youth • Lack of universities • Feudalism

Note : topics in italics were only mentioned as challenges at the community level. All others were mentioned at both the national and the local level.


POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS • Electoral reform • Political parties • Confessionalism • Sectarian political system • Judiciary • Presidency

Note : topics in italics were only mentioned as challenges at the national level. All others were mentioned at both the national and the local level. POLITICAL OUTCOMES

• Nepotism • Corruption • Absence of state • Radicalism • Lack of democracy • Lack of political unity • Absence of national reconciliation • March 8 Leader • Syria situation • Political situation • March 14 Leader • Lack of political reforms • Carelessness of municipality



ECONOMIC – GENERAL • Unemployment • Economic situation (unspecified) • Poverty • Low salaries • Foreign workers • No support for agriculture • No support for tourism

Note : topics in italics were only mentioned as challenges at the community level. All others were mentioned at both the national and the local level. ECONOMIC – HIGH COST OF LIVING

• High cost of living (unspecified) • High fuel cost • High cost of real estate • High taxes • High cost of communications • High cost of education • High cost of medical treatment • Residence crisis • High cost of marriage



INFRASTRUCTURE • Electricity • Water problems • Bad roads • Traffic • Infrastructure (unspecified) • Transportation • Extraction of oil • Traffic accidents • Pollution • Lack of parking areas • Waste management • Sewage system • Slow internet service

Note : topics in italics were only mentioned as challenges at the community level. All others were mentioned at both the national and the local level. SECURITY

• Security situation (unspecified) • Israeli menace • Foreign intervention • Regional situation • War • Civil war • Illegal arms • Hezbollah arms • Iran • Palestinian camps • Traitors • International tribunal • Demarcation of borders • United States

Note : topics in italics were only mentioned as challenges at the national level. All others were mentioned at both the national and the local level.


ANNEX E – Cross-tabulations Major national challenges - crosstab per confession Major Challenges at the National Level

Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Social 20,50% 25,20% 24,70% na

Infrastructure 34,10% 34,90% 40,30% na

Political Institutions 13,50% 21,60% 21,70% na

Political Outcomes 67,10% 57,30% 43,00% 75,50%

Economic General 51,00% 53,90% 66,20% na

Economic High cost of living 50,70% 42,90% 37,50% na

Security 40,70% 49,30% 47,10% na

% within confession Major national challenges - crosstab per region Major Challenges at the National Level Beirut

Mount Lebanon North Bekaa South El

Nabatieh

Social Na 25% na na na na

Infrastructure na 39% 37% na na na

Political Institutions na 16% na na na na

Political Outcomes 47% 72% 66% na 48% na

Economic General na 38% 52% 106% 68% na

Economic High cost of living 60% 46% 39% 50% na na

Security na 44% 50% 51% na na

% within mouhafaza Major national challenges - crosstab per sex and age group Major Challenges at the National Level Men Women 16-29

30-64 65 and above

Social 22% 24% 27% 20% na

Infrastructure 33% 39% 27% 20% na

Political Institutions 21% 16% 27% 20% na

Political Outcomes 63% 54% 59% 58% na

Economic General 54% 56% 59% 53% na

Economic High cost of living 42% 48% 39% 48% na

Security 46% 44% 40% 48% na

%within gender % within age group

Major national challenges - crosstab per confession Major Challenges at the Community Level

Christians Sunni Shiites Druze

Social 46% 44% 45% na

Infrastructure 87% 69% 92% 95%

Political Institutions 4% 8% 9% na

Political Outcomes 15% 17% 20% na

Economic General 40% 60% 44% na


Economic High cost of living 51% 52% 43% na

Security 9% 12% 14% na

% within confession

Major national challenges - crosstab per region Major Challenges at the Community Level

Beirut Mount Lebanon North Bekaa South El

Nabatieh

Social na 48% 42% na 90%

Infrastructure 87% 102% 71% 40% 62% 139%

Political Institutions na na na na na na

Political Outcomes na 13% na na na na

Economic General na 33% 59% 101% na na

Economic High cost of living na 49% 56% 77% na na

Security na na na na na na

% within mouhafaza

Very important social challenges, per confession

Very Important Social Challenges Confession Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Drugs 95% 94% 93% 91% Gender based violence 87% 85% 83% 80% Violence against children 92% 92% 90% 85% Child labor 90% 86% 86% 88% Smoking Effects on Health in public places 68% 60% 50% 66% Disrespect for traffic regulations 91% 87% 68% 86% Human trafficking (illegal trade of individuals) 85% 80% 81% 69% Sectarianism in society 87% 91% 82% 87% Citizenship values 88% 84% 69% 82% Democracy 87% 87% 74% 86% Minority rights 82% 79% 60% 82% Corruption in society 97% 96% 92% 91% Public infrastructure 96% 94% 95% 93% Public services: garbage collection 87% 87% 85% 78% Public services: public transportation 87% 86% 80% 83% Health facilities 92% 93% 93% 87% Food safety 94% 95% 96% 89% Women’s quota in parliament 68% 56% 60% 58% Equality among men and women 74% 62% 67% 64% Right of youth under 21 to vote 61% 56% 64% 57% Cooperation between different confessions 87% 86% 83% 82%

% of confession


Very important social challenges per region

Very Important Social Challenges Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount

Lebanon North Bekaa South Nabatieh Drugs 97% 97% 92% 88% 93% 85% Gender based violence 85% 88% 87% 83% 78% 77% Violence against children 93% 92% 92% 92% 86% 76% Child labor 90% 91% 88% 85% 79% 83% Smoking effects on health in public places 59% 69% 67% 39% 52% 51% Disrespect for traffic regulations 89% 93% 92% 49% 71% 72% Human trafficking (illegal trade of individuals) 89% 85% 83% 74% 68% 79% Sectarianism in society 90% 91% 93% 77% 73% 74% Citizenship values 87% 87% 89% 58% 71% 78% Democracy 83% 87% 92% 66% 76% 78% Minority rights 78% 83% 84% 56% 57% 66% Corruption in society 98% 97% 97% 87% 92% 87% Public infrastructure 94% 98% 97% 88% 93% 94% Public services: garbage collection 82% 88% 90% 73% 86% 90% Public services: public transportation 86% 88% 90% 71% 76% 86% Health facilities 95% 93% 93% 89% 90% 92% Food safety 97% 96% 97% 85% 94% 91% Women’s quota in parliament 62% 67% 61% 56% 52% 53% Equality among men and women 68% 73% 66% 61% 60% 67% Right of youth under 21 to vote 63% 62% 60% 54% 61% 54% Cooperation among individuals/groups from different confessions 91% 90% 90% 80% 68% 70%

% within Mouhafaza Very important social challenges, per sex and age group

Very Important Social Challenges Gender Age Group

Male Female 16-29 30-64 65 and above

Drugs 92% 96% 92% 94% 98% Gender based violence 78% 92% 83% 85% 92% Violence against children 88% 94% 89% 92% 92% Child labor 85% 90% 88% 88% 85% Smoking Effects on Health in public places 58% 64% 58% 62% 65% Disrespect for traffic regulations 82% 85% 82% 84% 89% Human trafficking (illegal trade of individuals) 80% 83% 81% 81% 82% Sectarianism in society 87% 86% 88% 86% 86% Citizenship values 82% 81% 80% 82% 89% Democracy 83% 84% 83% 83% 87% Minority rights 75% 76% 74% 76% 84% Corruption in society 95% 95% 95% 95% 96%


Public infrastructure 95% 95% 95% 95% 96% Public services: garbage collection 83% 88% 85% 86% 85% Public services: public transportation 83% 86% 86% 84% 83% Health facilities 91% 93% 92% 92% 94% Food safety 93% 95% 95% 94% 94% Women’s quota in parliament 52% 71% 61% 62% 62% Equality among men and women 59% 77% 70% 66% 70% Right of youth under 21 to vote 61% 59% 62% 58% 65% Cooperation among individuals/groups from different confessions 85% 86% 87% 84% 89%

% of gender % within age group Most important social challenge, per confession

Most Important Social Challenge Confession Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Drugs 33% 24% 24% 18% Gender based violence 3% 5% 6% 4% Violence against children 4% 2% 3% 2% Child labor 1% 1% 2% 1% Smoking Effects on Health in public places 1% 1% 0% 1% Disrespect for traffic regulations 1% 1% 1% 3% Human trafficking (illegal trade of individuals) 1% 1% 1% 2% Sectarianism in society 8% 16% 11% 13% Citizenship values 1% 1% 1% 1% Democracy 2% 4% 1% 1% Minority rights 0% 0% 0% 1% Corruption in society 17% 16% 15% 19% Public infrastructure 6% 6% 8% 6% Public services: garbage collection 0% 0% 0% 1% Public services: public transportation 0% 1% 0% 2% Health facilities 6% 3% 5% 3% Food safety 10% 12% 10% 13% Women’s quota in parliament 0% 1% 1% 1% Equality among men and women 2% 3% 3% 4% Right of youth under 21 to vote 1% 0% 2% 0% Cooperation among individuals/groups from different confessions 3% 5% 4% 3%

% within confession Most important social challenge, per region

Most Important Social Challenge Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount

Lebanon North Bekaa South El

Nabatieh Drugs 21% 29% 26% 23% 33% 25% Gender based violence 2% 3% 4% 10% 7% 5%


Violence against children 1% 3% 3% 5% 2% 3% Child labor 1% 1% 1% 3% 2% 3% Smoking Effects on Health in public places 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 1% Disrespect for traffic regulations 1% 2% 1% 0% 1% 1% Human trafficking (illegal trade of individuals) 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% Sectarianism in society 15% 8% 14% 14% 9% 14% Citizenship values 2% 1% 1% 0% 1% 0% Democracy 2% 1% 5% 0% 3% 0% Minority rights 0% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% Corruption in society 16% 17% 17% 14% 16% 17% Public infrastructure 4% 7% 6% 2% 11% 11% Public services: garbage collection 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 3% Public services: public transportation 0% 0% 1% 0% 0% 1% Health facilities 9% 4% 2% 7% 3% 2% Food safety 19% 14% 9% 1% 6% 5% Women’s quota in parliament 0% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Equality among men and women 0% 2% 3% 5% 2% 5% Right of youth under 21 to vote 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 0% Cooperation among individuals/groups from different confessions 3% 4% 3% 7% 1% 2%

% within mouhafaza Most important social challenge, per sex and age group

Most Important Social Challenge Gender Age Group

Male Female 16-29 30-64 65 and above

Drugs 29% 25% 26% 28% 20% Gender based violence 2% 7% 6% 4% 1% Violence against children 2% 3% 3% 3% 4% Child labor 1% 2% 2% 1% 0% Smoking Effects on Health in public places 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Disrespect for traffic regulations 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Human trafficking (illegal trade of individuals) 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% Sectarianism in society 15% 8% 13% 11% 7% Citizenship values 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% Democracy 3% 1% 1% 2% 3% Minority rights 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% Corruption in society 17% 15% 16% 16% 28% Public infrastructure 7% 6% 6% 7% 8% Public services: garbage collection 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% Public services: public transportation 0% 1% 0% 1% 0% Health facilities 5% 4% 4% 5% 10% Food safety 8% 13% 9% 11% 12%


Women’s quota in parliament 0% 1% 1% 1% 0% Equality among men and women 1% 4% 3% 3% 1% Right of youth under 21 to vote 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% Cooperation among individuals/groups from different confessions 4% 4% 4% 4% 2%

% within gender % within age group

Very important political challenge, per confession

Very Important Political Challenges Confession Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Political stability 94% 95% 91% 94% Security and safety 96% 97% 98% 93% Proliferation of small arms 88% 87% 76% 82% Armed political groups 92% 90% 73% 85% Internal conflicts 93% 92% 87% 91% Regional conflict / war 86% 87% 78% 84% Confessional political system 89% 90% 81% 83% Electoral reform 86% 83% 68% 82% Public participation in decision making 89% 85% 73% 87% Politicized judicial institutions 91% 88% 72% 86% Corruption in the government 96% 95% 91% 91% Politicized media 90% 88% 69% 89% Freedom of expression 86% 90% 80% 82%

% within confession Very important political challenge, per region

Very Important Political Challenges Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount

Lebanon North Bekaa South Nabatieh Political stability 95% 96% 96% 87% 88% 88% Security and safety 96% 98% 97% 97% 97% 89% Proliferation of small arms 93% 90% 89% 74% 67% 66% Armed political groups 94% 92% 93% 71% 67% 66% Internal conflicts 92% 96% 95% 84% 79% 80% Regional conflict / war 90% 88% 92% 70% 69% 71% Confessional political system 92% 92% 93% 75% 74% 68% Electoral reform 81% 86% 88% 62% 68% 72% Public participation in decision making 85% 88% 88% 65% 77% 83% Politicized judicial institutions 91% 92% 91% 64% 69% 75% Corruption in the government 97% 97% 96% 88% 89% 87% Politicized media 86% 92% 93% 66% 62% 69% Freedom of expression 84% 87% 91% 80% 76% 75%

% within mouhafaza Very important political challenge, per sex and age group


Very Important Political Challenges

Gender Age Group Male Female 16-29 30-64 65 and above

Political stability 93% 94% 92% 94% 95% Security and safety 96% 97% 96% 97% 99% Proliferation of small arms 84% 84% 81% 85% 94% Armed political groups 85% 86% 84% 86% 92% Internal conflicts 91% 91% 90% 91% 91% Regional conflict / war 84% 84% 83% 84% 89% Confessional political system 88% 86% 87% 86% 89% Electoral reform 82% 79% 79% 81% 83% Public participation in decision making 84% 83% 83% 84% 85% Politicized judicial institutions 87% 83% 84% 85% 88% Corruption in the government 94% 94% 94% 94% 95% Politicized media 84% 84% 83% 84% 89% Freedom of expression 84% 86% 87% 84% 86%

Most important political challenge, per confession

Most Important Political Challenge Confession Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Political stability 19% 15% 19% 20% Security and safety 22% 21% 29% 17% Proliferation of small arms 13% 11% 8% 5% Armed political groups 9% 12% 1% 9% Internal conflicts 3% 2% 9% 4% Regional conflict / war 1% 2% 4% 1% Confessional political system 4% 9% 6% 7% Electoral reform 2% 1% 0% 2% Public participation in decision making 2% 2% 2% 3% Politicized judicial institutions 4% 3% 2% 6% Corruption in the government 13% 13% 15% 16% Politicized media 3% 3% 2% 8% Freedom of expression 5% 5% 3% 3%

% within confession Most important political challenge, per region

Most Important Political Challenge Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount

Lebanon North Bekaa South Nabatieh Political stability 14% 17% 15% 26% 26% 10% Security and safety 21% 21% 19% 26% 28% 32% Proliferation of small arms 13% 11% 14% 4% 8% 3% Armed political groups 8% 8% 13% 3% 3% 0% Internal conflicts 3% 4% 2% 12% 3% 4% Regional conflict / war 2% 2% 2% 3% 2% 3%


Confessional political system 10% 6% 6% 2% 6% 6% Electoral reform 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% Public participation in decision making 1% 2% 3% 1% 2% 6% Politicized judicial institutions 3% 5% 2% 0% 3% 3% Corruption in the government 14% 14% 12% 12% 12% 25% Politicized media 4% 4% 3% 1% 2% 1% Freedom of expression 5% 4% 5% 8% 3% 2%

% within mouhafaza Most important political challenge, per sex and agre group

Most Important Political Challenge

Gender Age Group Male Female 16-29 30-64 65 and above

Political stability 19% 17% 16% 19% 22% Security and safety 17% 28% 22% 24% 18% Proliferation of small arms 11% 9% 11% 10% 9% Armed political groups 9% 6% 6% 9% 10% Internal conflicts 4% 5% 4% 5% 2% Regional conflict / war 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% Confessional political system 8% 4% 6% 6% 9% Electoral reform 2% 1% 1% 2% 2% Public participation in decision making 2% 2% 2% 2% 1% Politicized judicial institutions 4% 3% 3% 4% 5% Corruption in the government 13% 15% 15% 12% 14% Politicized media 5% 2% 4% 3% 4% Freedom of expression 4% 5% 6% 3% 4%

% within gender % within age group Most important economic challenge, per confession

Most Important Economic Challenge Confession Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Poverty 20% 25% 30% 15% Finding job opportunities 19% 29% 22% 23% Cost of housing 7% 5% 5% 1% Cost of living 17% 14% 21% 22% Cost of education 6% 3% 3% 9% Emigration among youth 17% 10% 9% 15% Food safety (food availability and variety) 4% 3% 6% 5% Cost of public services (electricity, communications…) 9% 10% 4% 11%

% within confession


Very important economic challenge, per confession

Very Important Economic Challenges Confession Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Poverty 96% 97% 97% 95% Finding job opportunities 97% 97% 97% 99% Cost of housing 90% 85% 77% 82% Cost of living 98% 98% 98% 99% Cost of education 96% 94% 93% 95% Emigration among youth 95% 90% 83% 95% Food safety (food availability and variety) 92% 92% 94% 91% Cost of public services (electricity, communications…) 93% 94% 92% 94%

% within confession Very important economic challenge, per region

Very Important Economic Challenges Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount


Nabatieh Poverty 96% 96% 98% 99% 93% 95% Finding job opportunities 97% 98% 96% 99% 95% 97% Cost of housing 95% 91% 86% 77% 68% 64% Cost of living 98% 98% 98% 98% 99% 98% Cost of education 94% 97% 95% 96% 88% 92% Emigration among youth 91% 96% 94% 75% 80% 88% Food safety (food availability and variety) 94% 94% 92% 85% 92% 94% Cost of public services (electricity, communications…) 94% 95% 95% 85% 90% 94%

% within mouhafaza


Very important economic challenge, per sex and age group Very Important Economic

Challenges Gender Age Group

Male Female 16-29 30-64 65 and above Poverty 95% 98% 98% 96% 95% Finding job opportunities 97% 97% 96% 98% 98% Cost of housing 84% 85% 86% 83% 89% Cost of living 98% 98% 98% 98% 99% Cost of education 95% 95% 94% 96% 95% Emigration among youth 90% 90% 90% 90% 92% Food safety (food availability and variety) 91% 94% 93% 93% 91% Cost of public services (electricity, communications…) 93% 93% 92% 94% 92%

% within gender % within age group Most important economic challenge, per region

Most Important Economic Challenge Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount


Nabatieh Poverty 20% 17% 25% 41% 30% 20% Finding job opportunities 22% 21% 27% 17% 24% 28% Cost of housing 11% 7% 4% 1% 2% 2% Cost of living 17% 18% 13% 24% 16% 23% Cost of education 7% 6% 3% 2% 4% 6% Emigration among youth 11% 15% 14% 9% 10% 16% Food safety (food availability and variety) 3% 5% 4% 2% 9% 0% Cost of public services (electricity, communications…) 9% 10% 9% 4% 4% 5%

% within mouhafaza Most important economic challenge, per sex and age group

Most Important Economic Challenge Gender Age Group Male Female 16-29 30-64 65 and above

Poverty 23% 24% 25% 23% 23% Finding job opportunities 22% 24% 27% 21% 15% Cost of housing 6% 4% 5% 5% 10% Cost of living 16% 19% 16% 18% 20% Cost of education 5% 4% 4% 6% 0% Emigration among youth 14% 13% 11% 14% 18% Food safety (food availability and variety) 5% 4% 5% 5% 2% Cost of public services (electricity, communications…) 9% 8% 6% 9% 12%

% within gender % within age group


Very important economic challenges, per confession

Very Important Environmental Challenges Confession Christians Sunni Shiite Druze

Use of alternative energy sources 85% 82% 76% 70% Household garbage management 92% 86% 87% 84% Sewage recycling 93% 85% 86% 83% Climate change 77% 77% 61% 78% Deforestation 92% 91% 73% 87% Quarries 96% 90% 77% 93% Beach pollution 88% 80% 69% 85% Loss of biodiversity 89% 85% 81% 85%

% within confession Very important economic challenges, per region

Very Important Environmental Challenges

Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount


Nabatieh Use of alternative energy sources 76% 81% 85% 85% 72% 72% Household garbage management 88% 92% 87% 88% 82% 79% Sewage recycling 91% 94% 86% 87% 72% 81% Climate change 80% 79% 82% 62% 52% 48% Deforestation 88% 92% 95% 75% 69% 74% Quarries 94% 96% 91% 68% 80% 87% Beach pollution 87% 90% 82% 72% 52% 72% Loss of biodiversity 88% 93% 89% 78% 66% 73%

% within mouhafaza Most important environmental challenges, per region

Most Important Environmental Challenge

Mouhafaza

Beirut Mount

Lebanon North Bekaa South Nabatieh Use of alternative energy sources 20% 22% 21% 36% 25% 32% Household garbage management 10% 12% 9% 15% 28% 16% Sewage recycling 13% 14% 11% 15% 16% 15% Climate change 3% 3% 3% 2% 0% 3% Deforestation 17% 18% 24% 15% 5% 6% Quarries 27% 18% 20% 5% 20% 11% Beach pollution 6% 6% 5% 8% 3% 5% Loss of biodiversity 5% 6% 5% 4% 2% 9%

% within mouhafaza


Degree of Confidence in Institutions per region

Mouhafaza Govt Local/

City Gov

Lebanese Armed Forces

Police/ Law

Enforcement

Judicial System Parliament Political

Parties CSOs/ NGOs

General Security

Beirut 26.9% 37% 86.60% 72.30% 50.50% 34.20% 24.10% 87.00% 70.90% Mount Lebanon 26.90% 55.60% 94.90% 71.20% 51.70% 36.30% 36.50% 85.40% 69.80% North 25.90% 48.40% 92.40% 73.30% 51.90% 32.20% 28.30% 80.20% 61.60% Bekaa 24.30% 43.40% 93.30% 74.10% 41.00% 34.70% 21.90% 57.80% 77.70% South 36.00% 43.20% 99.10% 62.10% 59.20% 53.40% 46.60% 78.10% 86.40% Nabatieh 16.10% 37.30% 86.40% 55.10% 45.70% 50.90% 50.80% 75.40% 78.80%

Note: the table above adds the responses “great deal of confidence” and “some degree of confidence”.

survey of lebanese citizens’ priority concerns and attitudes towards civic engagement

Documents

important political

important economic challenges

community challenges

national challenges

important social problems

annex b list of major

survey methodology

survey questionnaire