The results of the Arab Barometer survey – the ninth wave, concerning Jordan, hold great importance in reading public opinion trends toward the state, its institutions, and the government, especially as the results emerged in a highly complex economic and regional environment, which gives the indicators related to trust and performance greater value when analyzed in their general context. The survey provides an accurate quantitative picture of shifts in the public mood, allows for the comparison of Jordanians' positions across different time periods, and simultaneously reveals the level of trust that state institutions still enjoy within society.
One of the most notable findings is the rise in trust in the government and the Prime Minister compared to late 2023, as trust in the government rose by ten percentage points, and trust in the Prime Minister rose by the same amount, an indicator reflecting a clear improvement in the assessment of the relationship between the citizen and the government. The importance of this result increases when placed in a difficult economic context, as the economic situation ranked first among the challenges facing Jordan at 59%.
The significance of this improvement is confirmed by the rise in the level of satisfaction with the government's general performance to 61%, compared to 45% in late 2023, an increase of 16 percentage points. This result gives the trust indicator a deeper dimension, because the citizen compares the policies and services produced by the government with the scale of the challenges facing the state, and then forms their position based on the level of performance they perceive in reality.
This trend is clearly shown in the evaluation of public services, where the satisfaction rate for electricity reached 79%, waste collection 73%, water 69%, healthcare 67%, and education 66%. The education, healthcare, and waste collection sectors also recorded an improvement compared to the results of late 2023. These indicators reflect the ability of state institutions to maintain a high level of basic service provision, despite the economic and financial pressures facing the country.
Security stands out as the strongest area in the evaluation of the state and government's performance, as 90% of Jordanians see the government's performance in maintaining security and order as good or very good. This indicator integrates with the high level of trust in the Armed Forces, which enjoys the trust of 96%, and the police, which enjoys the trust of 91%. These figures reflect the entrenchment of the national institution and its ability to perform its primary function of protecting security and stability, a value that doubles in importance in a state located in a region witnessing extended crises, wars, and conflicts.
The results related to economic performance carry implications worth pausing over. Although the economy continues to be the most prominent challenge in the eyes of Jordanians, the positive assessment rate of government efforts in creating job opportunities rose from 13% to 22%, the percentage of those who positively evaluate efforts to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor rose from 19% to 24%, and the positive assessment rate for efforts to keep prices low rose from 15% to 23%. These shifts indicate an improvement in citizens' perception of government effort in economic files that directly affect their lives, even with the continued need for greater results in the labor market, income, and cost of living.
The anti-corruption index provides additional evidence of the evolution of the view toward government performance. Although 83% of Jordanians see that corruption exists in some institutions to a large or moderate degree, the percentage of those who see that the government is working to combat corruption rose to 55%, an increase of nine points from late 2023. More importantly, this indicator has continued an upward trajectory since 2022, when the percentage of those who saw government efforts in combating corruption reached 35%. This increase reflects an improvement in citizens' perception of the official efforts exerted in this file.
The map of trust in institutions reveals a strong position for national institutions related to security, the rule of law, and services. In addition to the Armed Forces and the police, the courts and the legal system enjoy the trust of 68%, while trust in tribal sheikhs reaches 59%, and in civil society organizations 49%. In contrast, the House of Representatives maintains a lower level of trust at 27%. This disparity reflects a difference in the evaluation of institutional functions and indicates that the Jordanian citizen gives greater weight to the institution whose direct impact they see in security, stability, services, and the application of the law.
These results gain greater importance when viewed from the angle of the relationship between the state and society. Although the survey monitors real economic pressures, from the rising cost of living to the difficulty of obtaining job opportunities, and also monitors the continued consideration of emigration among a percentage of Jordanians, especially the youth, it nevertheless records an improvement in trust in the government and higher satisfaction with its performance. This means that the citizen distinguishes between the difficulty of circumstances and their ability to evaluate the performance of state institutions in dealing with them.
Here lies the most important political value of the survey. Public trust is formed from the accumulation of daily experience, the ability of institutions to provide service, protect security, enforce the law, respond to problems, and translate policies into results. When trust in the government rises in conjunction with an increase in satisfaction with its performance and an improved evaluation of a number of services and government efforts, this indicates a tangible impact of institutional performance in shaping public opinion trends.
Furthermore, the rise in general satisfaction with the government to 61% gives the government administration an important credit in dealing with upcoming files. This credit provides a wider space to proceed with economic and administrative reform and modernization programs, and at the same time places greater responsibility on the government to maintain the positive trend and translate it into more clear economic and social results.
It is also remarkable that this improvement in trust in the government comes in parallel with exceptional trust in security and military institutions. These high levels of trust constitute one of the most important elements of strength in the Jordanian state, because they reflect the stability of the relationship between society and the basic state institutions, and confirm the state's continued ability to protect national security and maintain stability under highly sensitive regional circumstances.
Hence, reading the Arab Barometer results requires looking at the full picture; there are real economic and social challenges that need to be addressed, and there are increasing popular demands to improve job opportunities, income, and the standard of living, but on the other hand, there are strong indicators of improved trust in the government, higher satisfaction with its performance, continued high trust in security institutions, improved evaluation of public services, and increased citizen awareness of anti-corruption efforts.
In conclusion, and according to these results, Jordan possesses an important institutional credit that can be built upon. However, the fundamental issue that should be focused on in the coming phase is transforming this credit into a greater ability to achieve economic and social results, so that the citizen feels that government reforms and policies are directly reflected in job opportunities, income, the level of services, and the quality of life.
The survey provides a clear message: trust in the state remains strong, trust in the government is improving, satisfaction with government performance is rising, and security institutions are maintaining exceptional levels of trust. These are all positive indicators of great political and administrative value, especially in light of the circumstances under which the survey was conducted. While maintaining this path requires continuing to work on the basis of performance and achievement, enhancing the efficiency of institutions, and linking government policies to tangible results that the citizen feels in their daily life.
The stability reflected by trust in institutions, and the satisfaction shown in the evaluation of government performance, constitute an important base for continuing the modernization process. The more this trust is coupled with more clear economic and social achievements, the greater the state's ability to build a more entrenched relationship with the citizen, based on trust, performance, and results.
