Fafo-paper 2010:01

Laura E. Mitchell

Youth engagement in Syria:

Expected – but not encouraged

ISSN 0804-5135

Web edition (pdf 617kb) * More publications on this subject

Based on a sample survey of 1050 Syrian university youth, this paper examines youth participation at home, in the university and in their surrounding communities. We find that at home, over 70% of youth participate frequently or most of the time in deliberations and decision-making processes about their own lives; however, one quarter of youth participate only occasionally or seldom in these processes. In stark contrast, 80% of Syrian youth seldom, if ever, participate in extra-curricular activities. Low social trust amongst youth, combined with the closeness of youth organizations to the state and the lack of a civic ethos or environment in the university, were stated as key deterring factors.