Press release
Wave 1 · Release 1.0 · September 2026
Access is not experience: first citizens survey of public services across ten Arab countries
A new observatory, مرصد الإدارة in the Arab Region, publishes the first results of a citizens survey of 1,861 people in ten Arab League countries. The Arab Access and Experience Index records, for eleven areas of daily life, both what people can obtain and use and how they rate what they obtain.
The main finding is that access and experience often part company. In 74 of 110 country and domain scores, people report more access than they rate positively. The gap is widest in health and care, where good self-rated health sits beside low satisfaction with care, and in family and social relationships, where frequent contact is not experienced as support.
The two domains closest to public administration, service provision and civic participation, are among the weakest in the region and do not follow the overall index: countries that score high overall are often low on these two.
The survey used non-probability samples, and the results describe the people surveyed, not national populations. The next wave will use representative samples.
The report, "From Provision to Experience", is available in English, French and Arabic, with all data, code and methods.
Key messages
(i) Access is not experience: in 74 of 110 scores, people report more access than they rate positively.
(ii) The widest gaps are in health and care and in family relationships.
(iii) Services and civic participation, the domains closest to public administration, are among the weakest.
(iv) Results describe the people surveyed, not national populations.
Questions and answers
Is this a ranking of governments?
No. The index describes what respondents report about access and experience. It does not measure government performance, and small differences between countries carry no weight. The site shows countries relative to the regional average, not ranks.
Are the samples representative?
No. Samples were not drawn by probability methods, and scores describe respondents, not national populations. The next wave will use representative samples.
Why is Tunisia at the top?
Tunisian respondents report the highest access and experience in the sample. The methods section sets out the limitations that apply to all country scores.
Can I use the data?
Yes. Scores, item specification and methods are published under CC BY 4.0. Please cite the report and state the qualifications.
How should the report be cited?
Ben Brik, A. (2026). From Provision to Experience: A Public Administration Analysis of Access to Services, Resources and Opportunities in the Arab States. Arab Access and Experience Index 2026. Administration Observatory in the Arab Region.