The third quarter of 2019 has witnessed an increase in negative sentiments worldwide and Jordan alike. Recurrent frustrations over increases in costs of living as well as Jordanian consumers’ increased spending on necessities have led to a slight 1-point drop in Ipsos’ Jordan Consumer sentiment Index (JCSI). Jordanians’ negative sentiments towards the current financial situation were further heightened by the latest developments related to the Teachers’ Strike, which was reported to be the most salient news closely followed by more than half of Jordanians.
In the second quarter of 2019, indicators were marked with stagnation with only a slight diffusion of the extreme negativity witnessed ahead of the implementation of the Income tax law in Q4 2018. Therefore, slight improvements were witnessed when it comes to Jordanians’ sentiments towards the government and the economic situation in general, pushing the Ipsos’ JCSI a few points up. However, the vast majority of Jordanians are still concerned about the overall state of the economy and the future of their finances, with uncertainties bringing more attention to negative economic news overshadowing the positive developments unravelling in the Kingdom.
In June 2018, Jordanians took to the streets in angry anti-austerity protests that clearly rejected the newly proposed government tax legislation. As the protests boiled, a new government was appointed bringing about high hopes of prosperity and better economic reforms. With that, the public’s anger subsided in anticipation of a better economic future.
The latest Ipsos Global @dvisor poll was carried out in 28 countries around the world at the end of 2017. It asked over 21,500 online adults aged under 64 their predictions for 2018.
