Experts: Improved confidence in the government reflects progress in managing economic and service files

A recent opinion poll conducted by the "Arab Barometer" network revealed that economic affairs are at the forefront of Jordanians' concerns and the issues that occupy them most, with a tangible increase in levels of confidence in the government and public services.

The report, in its ninth cycle, which was conducted during October of last year 2025 and included a representative sample of 1,266 citizens, showed that 59% of Jordanians assess the economic situation as the most prominent challenge facing the Kingdom.

27% of the survey participants described the economic situation as very good, an increase of 5 points from what it was during 2023, while others believe that the economic situation will be better over the next two to three years.

About half of Jordanians (49%) express great or notable confidence in the government, which represents an increase of 10 points compared to the 39% recorded in late 2023.

Confidence in the Prime Minister also rose by 11 points to reach 49%, while confidence in Parliament did not see the same rise; it enjoys the confidence of only 27%, a percentage that hardly differs from late 2023, while the satisfaction rate with general government performance increased to 61%.

The results of the Arab Barometer survey revealed an important picture of the economic and social mood in Jordan. On one hand, the economy remains the primary challenge for Jordanians, with 59% considering it the most prominent problem; on the other hand, there is a clear improvement in confidence in the government and satisfaction with its performance and public services. This, consequently, reflects, according to Makhamreh, the existence of a gap between the improvement in some macroeconomic indicators and the citizen's feeling regarding the economic and living situation.

He also pointed out that the rise in confidence in the Jordanian government and the Prime Minister and satisfaction with government performance represents a positive indicator, reflecting that the citizen senses a greater degree of stability in managing economic and service files. However, the continued dominance of the economy in citizens' concerns means that this confidence will remain linked to the government's ability to translate stability into tangible economic results, especially in the areas of improving job opportunities, income levels, purchasing power, and the cost of living.

He added: One of the most notable indicators is that economic development has become the top priority for government spending at 35%, which reflects an important change in society's expectations; the citizen does not just want increased subsidies or consumer spending, but rather wants an economy more capable of growth and job creation. Consequently, the next phase requires directing public spending toward productive projects, infrastructure, investment, and supporting sectors capable of exporting and creating sustainable jobs.

He also added that the rise in satisfaction with security, electricity, health, and education represents an important asset for the national economy; because political and security stability and the quality of basic services are among the most important elements for attracting local and foreign investment. However, what is required is to complement this by improving the business environment, reducing bureaucracy, simplifying procedures, and strengthening partnership with the private sector.

He mentioned that in the environmental and energy aspect, the broad support for alternative energy and the gradual phasing out of fossil fuels represents an economic opportunity for Jordan, especially since the Kingdom possesses great potential in renewable energy. This support can be built upon to develop a green economy that provides new investments and job opportunities, reduces the energy bill, and enhances security of supply.

He pointed out that the low confidence in the House of Representatives compared to the government represents a challenge that must be addressed, because economic reform requires stable and effective legislation, and institutions capable of supporting and monitoring the reform process.

Makhamreh also pointed out that the Armed Forces receiving 96% confidence, and the security services 91%, reflects a very high level of confidence in the institutions that represent the element of stability and security in the Kingdom. This confidence has a direct economic impact; security and political stability are considered among the most important factors that local and foreign investors look at when making an investment decision.

He indicated that the rise in satisfaction with maintaining security and order to 90% enhances Jordan's image as a stable environment in a region witnessing regional unrest and tensions, which represents an important competitive advantage for the Kingdom in attracting investments, tourism, and regional services.

Makhamreh summarized the above by stating that the survey provided a clear message, which is that Jordanians have a state of confidence in the government, but they are still waiting for tangible economic results, and that the real challenge facing the government during the next phase is not only maintaining financial and economic stability, but transitioning to a phase where growth is more capable of creating job opportunities, increasing incomes, improving purchasing power, and stimulating investment and the private sector.

Financial and economic expert Dr. Mohammad Al-Hadab Al-Sarhan confirmed that the rise in Jordanians' confidence in the government from 39% to 49%, and the rise in satisfaction with government performance to 61% according to the Arab Barometer results, represents a positive indicator that goes beyond the political dimension, because confidence in institutions can be viewed economically as intangible capital that helps enhance certainty, implement reforms, and improve the business and investment environment.

Al-Sarhan explained that the most important economic reading of the survey appears when placing two figures side by side: 49% express confidence in the government, while at the same time 59% see the economic situation as the most prominent challenge facing the Kingdom. These two figures do not contradict; rather, they say that confidence in the direction and performance has improved, while the priority for the citizen remains work, income, and the standard of living.

Al-Sarhan pointed out that this reveals what can be called the "confidence and living gap"; meaning that the improvement in institutional confidence needs in the next phase to be paralleled by a faster improvement in the economic results that the citizen feels. Therefore, future success is not measured only by the rise in the confidence index, but by our ability to translate this improvement into investment, production, jobs, and better real income.

He indicated that the survey provides another important indication for the decision-maker; 35% of Jordanians placed economic development as the top priority for government spending, compared to 30% two years ago. This indicates the citizen's increasing interest in policies capable of expanding the economy and creating opportunities, and gives the government greater societal space to focus on programs and projects that raise the Kingdom's productive capacity and stimulate private sector investments.

Al-Sarhan added that international experiences support the importance of this aspect; high or medium levels of confidence in national governments in OECD countries hover around 40% on average in their latest surveys, with the necessity of not making a direct comparison with Jordan due to different methodologies. More importantly than the figure, these experiences show that confidence facilitates the implementation of reforms and increases the ability of governments to deal with long-term economic decisions.

Al-Sarhan emphasized that the rise in confidence by about 10 percentage points opens up for the government what can be called a "reform confidence window"; the right time to accelerate structural reforms is when the citizen has greater confidence in the institutions' ability to deliver, not after it declines. What is required is to invest this window in raising productivity, improving the business environment, facilitating investment, linking education to real demand in the labor market, and improving the efficiency of spending and services.

He explained that this does not mean using confidence to obtain unconditional acceptance of policies, but on the contrary; international experiences show that fairness, transparency, responsiveness, and involving citizens are essential factors for sustaining confidence. In OECD surveys, confidence in the government reaches about 69% among those who feel they have a voice in what the government does, compared to about 22% among those who feel their voice is not heard, a gap of nearly 47 percentage points.

Al-Sarhan pointed out that this result has an important economic application in Jordan; before major economic reforms, there should be three clear questions for the citizen and the private sector: Why do we need this reform? Who bears its cost? And when will its results appear? Participation and clarity of information not only build confidence, but also reduce resistance to change, and help discover problems before implementation and improve the quality of the decision itself.

Al-Sarhan emphasized that the next phase also requires a transition from measuring the volume of spending to measuring the return on spending. When the state allocates resources to a capital project or an economic program, it is not enough to ask: How much did we spend? Rather, we must ask: How much private investment did each dinar of spending stimulate? How many jobs were created? How much did it raise productivity? And what amount of new economic activity did it generate?

He pointed out that the same applies to trust, suggesting the introduction of the concept of "economic return on trust." Just as an investor measures the return on capital, a policymaker can monitor whether a rise in trust has coincided over the following years with an increase in private investment, the expansion of existing companies, job creation, higher worker productivity, and improvements in real per capita income and the quality of services.

Al-Sarhan explained that this approach makes public opinion polling a tool for policymaking rather than just a means to measure the general mood. A rise in trust from 39% to 49% is positive news, but for an economist, it is a leading indicator rather than a final result; its true value is determined by the subsequent decisions, economic behavior, investment, and employment that follow it.

He added that maintaining trust also requires moving from announcing achievements to measuring the impact of those achievements. Citizens do not only need to know the number of projects and programs launched, but what has changed because of them: Has the time to obtain a service been shortened? Has its cost decreased? Has a job opportunity been created? Has a company expanded? And has income risen or the quality of life improved?

Al-Sarhan indicated that the government can therefore develop a concise dashboard to measure the economic and social return on trust, linking public opinion indicators to a limited number of indicators that directly affect the citizen: growth in real per capita income, new job opportunities, private investment, worker productivity, company growth, and the quality of services. Thus, after two years, it would be possible to know not only how trust has changed, but what the economy has achieved during the same period.

He stated that this approach is important because trust is an asset that can accumulate and can also erode; therefore, the best way to protect it is not through rhetoric, but through results. Whenever a citizen finds that reform has led to better service, that investment has generated a job opportunity, and that growth has gradually reflected on their income, trust becomes more entrenched and sustainable.

Al-Sarhan concluded by emphasizing that the combination of 49% trust in the government with 59% considering the economy the biggest challenge can serve as a compass for the next phase: building on the achieved trust while placing the economy, work, and income at the forefront of priorities.

Al-Sarhan said: "Trust is like capital; its true value does not appear only in the size of the balance, but in the return we achieve from it. The requirement is to transform trust into reform, reform into investment and production, investment into jobs and exports, and growth into income and a better standard of living. The real test after two years is not just: Did trust exceed 49%? But also: Has the percentage of those who consider the economy the biggest challenge decreased? And has the citizen felt that the improvement in trust was accompanied by an improvement in their economic life?"

Economic expert Mounir Dieh said it is quite clear from the results of the survey conducted by the Arab Barometer network at the end of last year that the economy represents the most important file in the lives of most Jordanians, and it constitutes their most prominent challenge, despite the notable rise in trust in the government and its prime minister. This follows the positive results achieved by the Jordanian economy and the current government approach in dealing with the economic reality, as well as the field visits made by the Prime Minister to the governorates to check on the level of services provided to citizens and follow up on the implementation of development projects, which raised the level of trust in the government and its ability to face economic challenges and strive to achieve economic and social stability.

He pointed out that the positive results obtained by the government and its prime minister should be a motivation to implement more economic reforms, continue field work, take the necessary decisions to ensure the achievement of sustainable development, strive to find solutions to the challenges facing the citizen in their daily life, mitigate the effects of high unemployment and poverty rates, and continue to implement economic projects, especially in the sectors of transport, water, energy, health services, and education, so that the citizen can feel the impact of those projects in their daily life.

He indicated that the citizens' orientation towards alternative energy, moving away from fossil fuels, and supporting the use of electric vehicles, as the report indicated, is a clear message that the government must pay attention to the alternative energy file (solar and wind), increase its contribution to electricity generation, increase reliance on local natural gas from the Risha field, continue to implement green ammonia and green hydrogen projects, push towards reducing carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy production, and address all challenges to increase its penetration rate, in order to reduce the costs of imported energy, increase Jordan's competitiveness, and reduce transport and energy costs for citizens.

Dieh noted that the high satisfaction obtained by the security services and the Arab Army, and the high sense of security and reassurance regarding their role in protecting and defending the homeland, are among the most important messages that top the Jordanian scene, which always trusts the institution of the army and the security services. These are factors of political, economic, and social stability that distinguish Jordan from the rest of the countries in the region.