Al-Monitor/Premise poll: Majority in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia on edge over food access

Al-Monitor/Premise poll: Majority in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia on edge over food access

It was soaring food prices that sparked the popular uprisings throughout the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, but it is unprecedented increases in food and energy prices since the outbreak of Russia's war in Ukraine last February that now have a 68% majority of the population in Egypt, Turkey, Yemen, Tunisia and Iraq worried about their ability to access food in the coming months, according to an Al-Monitor/Premise poll.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, global food prices in 2022 were up by 14.3% compared to 2021, marking the highest increase on record since 1990.

The poll of 4,435 respondents was conducted by Al-Monitor in partnership with data and analytics firm Premise Data between Dec. 15, 2022, and Jan. 10, 2023, across five countries: Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Tunisia and Yemen. The margin of error is +/- 3-4%.

While most respondents (62%) say they have so far been able to find the food goods they need, there is growing concern as to whether this will be the case in the weeks and months to come: 41% said they were somewhat concerned and 27% said they were very concerned about their household’s ability to access food in the next six months.

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