Dubai: One in two young Syrian refugees living in camps in Jordan and Lebanon doubt they will ever return to their homeland, a new survey has revealed.
Supplemental findings from the 9th annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2017, suggests that 54 per cent of Syrian refugees aged between 18-24 said it is unlikely they will go back to their war-torn country.
However, an end to the war and the elimination of Daesh have been viewed by them as decisive steps needed to consider repatriating.
The key findings stem from “A Voice for Young Syrian Refugees,” a survey that focused on the hopes, concerns and aspirations of young Syrians living as refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, said study authors in a press conference on Thursday.
Survey
International polling company PSB Research conducted 400 face-to-face interviews of young Syrian refugees, split equally between men and women, who are living in refugee settlements in Jordan and Lebanon.
Sunil John, founder and chief executive of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller said that If the sheer scale of the crisis is worrying, the findings from this Survey are sobering.
“More than half of the young Syrians we surveyed — all living in severe poverty, in cramped refugee settlements just miles from their homeland — say they don’t think they will ever permanently return to Syria.”
Findings
John said more, for this return to happen, “the complex politics and the wider strategic implications of the war and the crisis take a back seat to a far more basic need an end to the fighting.”
In the findings, only 42 per cent young Syrian refugees said they are likely to permanently return to Syria in the future and four per cent said they did not know.
When given a list of steps that need to be taken before they could return home, 47 per cent chose the war ends option as the most important, while 25 per cent said Daesh leaving Syria.
Trailing far behind were the economic situation improves, chosen by eight per cent of the respondents, and Bashar Al Assad leaves, chosen by seven per cent.
Peace agreement
The survey also found that most young refugees do not consider Bashar Al Assad leaving office as a prerequisite for reaching a peace agreement.
Just over a quarter (27 per cent) agreed with the statement "There can be no peace agreement as long as Bashar Al Assad stays in office", versus 71 per cent who said "ending the fighting is more important than Bashar Al Assad leaving office". Two per cent saying they did not know.
During the conference, Roy Haddad, Director, WPP MENA, said the large-scale tragedy goes beyond politics and has shattered the dreams of the youth.
“It’s cities, lives and futures that were destroyed,” he said.
“When we talk about Arab youth, it’s the fiber that will never be the same. We have a lost an entire generation, and here we are talking about youth who make up 50 per cent of the population. They have no homes and no future to look for.”
“Whats worrying is their future and outlook, not only the haves and have nots, its about nothing to look for and having that feeling that there’s nothing else to lose,” he added.
The World Bank says the six-year old civil war has so far cost the nation’s economy $226 billion.
More than 465,000 Syrians have lost their lives in the conflict, more than six million Syrians are internally displaced and just over five million are registered as refugees outside of Syria, mostly in camps and settlements in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
Top five findings
1. More than half of young Syrian refugees say they are unlikely to return home permanently
2. Young Syrian refugees say that ending the war and Daesh leaving Syria are most critical for their return home.
3. Young Syrian refugees view Canada, US, UAE, and Germany as the top countries to live in.
4. Syrian refugees are divided on Iranian and Russian involvement in the war and don’t believe Trump’s presidency will change the course of the conflict.
5. Young refugees agree with their Arab peers, who say Daesh is getting weaker and military action is not the only priority in defeating terror.
