World of Opinions for Polls conducted this survey to gauge the views of a sample of Jordanian youth regarding the electoral process held on September 20, 2016, which was conducted under a new electoral law. The survey also aimed to understand their perception of the importance of parliamentary elections, whether they believe these elections will bring about tangible change, the key factors and motives driving this demographic in choosing their representatives, and their attitudes toward the electoral process, its procedures, and related matters.

The survey was conducted on a sample of 300 young men and women aged 18–35. Data was collected through face-to-face personal interviews using tablets and smartphones. The data collection took place between August 29 and September 9, 2016, preceding the parliamentary elections in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan held on September 20, 2016.

Key Findings

Youth Perception of Elections Importance and Manifesting Belonging

  • Importance of Elections: 57.7% of the youth view the upcoming elections as important, while 37.3% regard them as an unimportant event.
  • Manifesting National Belonging: 37.3% reported that elections reflect national belonging to a low extent, whereas 25.7% believe they do so to a high degree.
  • Gender Differences in Belonging: Results showed that females link electoral participation to embodying national belonging at a higher rate (57.2%) compared to males (47.5%).

Awareness of the New Electoral Law and Available Information

  • Level of Knowledge about the Law: 46% of the youth have a weak-to-moderate level of information regarding the new electoral law, compared to 24.3% who possess a high-to-very-high level of knowledge.
  • Gender Differences in Knowledge: Males outperformed females in average knowledge of the law; the percentage of females who had no information at all about the law reached 26%, compared to 13.3% of males.
  • Information on Candidates’ Programs: The findings revealed that a simple majority of youth (53%) do not have sufficient information about the candidates’ electoral programs.

Participation Trends and Reasons for Abstention

  • Expected Turnout: 47.0% of the youth confirmed their intention to participate in the upcoming elections, while 36.0% responded that they would not participate.
  • Reasons for Non-Participation: The primary reason for abstaining from participation is a lack of trust in MPs, followed by criteria such as “fake and superficial democracy” and a lack of integrity in the electoral process.
  • Youth Electoral History: 60.3% of respondents stated that they had never previously participated in any parliamentary elections.
  • Correlations with Participation: A strong positive correlation was established between the likelihood of voting and three main factors: the availability of sufficient information on candidates’ programs, the youth’s conviction regarding the importance of elections, and their level of knowledge about the new electoral law.

Criteria for Choosing Candidates and Electoral Freedom

  • Primary Criterion for Selection: The “service program” ranked first as the most important criterion for choosing a candidate at 44.3%, followed by “ideological discourse” at 23.7%.
  • Differences in Selection Criteria: It was found that more than 50% of females rely on program- and service-based criteria, whereas the tribal dimension (voting for a relative/tribal member) was more prevalent among males.
  • Freedom of Choice: An overwhelming majority of youth (84.7%) asserted that they choose their candidates with complete freedom and without any external influence. No statistical relationship was found between this freedom and gender, education, or age.

Electoral Process Procedures and Access to Centers

  • Ease of Access to Polling Stations: Two-thirds of the youth (67%) find access to polling stations easy, with a higher percentage of males finding it easy compared to females.
  • Evaluation of the Independent Election Commission (IEC): A state of mistrust prevails; nearly half of the youth (46.3%) believe the Independent Commission will fail to ensure the integrity of the elections, while 27.0% believe it will succeed, and 26.7% do not know.

Peer Encouragement and Expectations of Change

  • Encouraging Others: 53.0% of the youth stated that they would encourage others to participate, compared to only 5.0% who would call for a boycott. There is a positive correlation between a youth’s own expected participation and the extent to which they encourage others.
  • Pessimism Towards Change: A simple majority (46.0%) believe that the electoral process will not bring about any change in Jordan (either positive or negative), while 40.0% believe it will bring positive change. The desire for change is positively correlated with freedom of choice and an increased likelihood of participation.
  • Youth’s View of Their Peers’ Enthusiasm: 62.0% of the youth expressed their belief (based on what they hear) that youth under the age of 35 are motivated to participate to a low or very low degree.

Key Recommendations Proposed by the Youth

  • Approving a special quota for youth and lowering the age of candidacy.
  • Ensuring the integrity of elections and focusing on youth empowerment.
  • Increasing political awareness by incorporating subjects related to political participation into school and university curricula.
  • Focusing on solving youth issues and improving their living conditions, and addressing them directly without intermediaries.

 

You can download the full survey report from the “Publications” section.