Ozlem Tur

In early February our public opinion polling in Damascus, Rural Damascus and Homs suggested that the new authorities still enjoyed goodwill. Nearly two-thirds of respondents – 63 per cent – said Syria was heading in the right direction. Support for the government was robust across income groups, reaching 90 per cent among self-described high-income respondents and 65 per cent among lower-income respondents. Trust in the government to deliver transitional justice stood at 56 per cent. Even public services, despite years of war and neglect, received more favourable than unfavourable assessments: 49 per cent said they were satisfied, compared with only 16 per cent dissatisfied. Perceptions of safety were similarly encouraging, with 76 per cent in Damascus, 62 per cent in Homs and 61 per cent in Rural Damascus saying they felt safe. Yet by April the mood had changed. The most serious deterioration was in attitudes toward the economy and the state’s capacity to manage it. Only 13 per cent of respondents now believed the government was doing enough to tackle soaring energy and food prices, while 66 per cent said its efforts were insufficient. syriaintransition.com/en/hom…