In 2009, Population Council conducted the ground-breaking Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE). Council interviewers spoke to a nationally representative sample of around 15,000 young people between the ages of 10 and 29 from 11,000 households—one of the largest-ever surveys of young people in the Middle East and North Africa.
In 2014, the Council re-interviewed more than 10,000 respondents from the original 2009 survey, a group now aged 14–35. The results of these studies—which offered gender-disaggregated information on health, schooling, employment, civic engagement, and many other topics—have deep implications for government policies for young people and the development of post-Revolution Egypt. The data provides nuanced details about Egyptian youths’ struggle for employment, their concerns about Egypt’s economic situation, and their resilient optimism for the future. For example, the study finds that compared to before the Revolution, Egyptian youth today are significantly:
- Much more likely to vote
- More likely to use the internet and other media
- Less likely to work for the government or in the private wage sector
- Less likely to aspire to migrate outside of Egypt
- More likely to prefer larger family size and less likely to use contraception
The data offer a unique before-and-after picture of the economic, social, political, and health situation of young people during this critical time in Egypt’s history.
Download the Panel Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) for 2009 and 2014.