Protests in Lebanon - What the Data Tell Us (Part 3)

For some time now ARK has been working on projects with our Lebanese partners to promote political accountability, increase the responsiveness of the elected to the electorate and enhance social cohesion in Lebanon. The disconnect between the political establishment and the citizenry is stark, but perhaps more worrying, despite the current protests in Lebanon, is entrenched apathy – the sense that nothing can or will change.

After the parliamentary elections in 2018 we sought to understand, in nationally representative surveys, why both first time and ‘older’ voters did not vote. As you can see above, the main reasons, cited by more than 50% of respondents, were that ‘my vote does not make a difference’ and ‘I did not like the candidates’.  

Disdain for politicians is not unique to Lebanon, but for Lebanon’s democracy to flourish, faith in the ability of elections to hold politicians accountable and deliver positive social change needs to be strengthened.