This policy brief presents an update on the state of unhappiness and depression in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the COVID-19 pandemic using findings from a large-scale phone survey in 10 MENA countries, conducted by the World Values Survey (WVS) Association. The survey interviewed 12,366 respondents, distributed almost equally across Algeria, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Egypt.
Key Findings:
1- A concerning 90 percent of individuals in MENA reported a rise in anxiety or depression within their communities
2- Gender-based differences in community reporting of increased community level anxiety or depression are not notable in seven out of the 10 countries
3- Contrary to community-level reporting, at the individual level, women’s wellbeing was disproportionately affected during COVID-19, with a higher likelihood than men of feeling very sad and depressed about their life situation
4- There is significant country heterogeneity when it comes to reporting individual experiences of sadness and depression, with a general tendency to underreport
5- Social relationships matter for the well-being of both women and men, with a slightly stronger association among women
6- Higher education decreased the likelihood of experiencing sadness and depression, while unemployment increased this likelihood, with more effects on men compared to women
7- Poor physical health and increased concerns related to COVID-19, both in terms of health and economic aspects, are negatively associated with well-being
