Refugee Perceptions Study: Za’atari Camp and Host Communities in Jordan

The implications of Syria's protracted conflict for Jordan are significant and the humanitarian strategy moving forward into 2014 is underscored by unpredictable inflows of refugees.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is leading efforts to coordinate and consolidate assistance to Jordan’s refugee population and planning for 2014 is based on an approximate population of up to 650,000 refugees and a contingency estimate of up to an additional 350,000 refugees by the end of the year.

The majority of refugees, an estimated 80 percent, are residing in dispersed urban-based host communities or in informal tented settlements across the country. Additionally, there are 80,000 to 120,000 refugees concentrated in Za’atari Refugee Camp.

This study aims to assess the needs of refugees from Syria residing in Jordan by looking at both objective data and perceptions of the situation from the perspective of the refugees themselves. The purpose of this is to allow organizations to identify new challenges and gaps in aid assistance efforts in Jordan. Those surveyed for this study reside in areas where Oxfam has operations or is planning to provide assistance, including Za’atari Camp Districts 6,7, and 8, Zarqa and Balqa Governorates, and the informal settlements in Jawa (southeast Amman) and the Jordan Valley.