Marketing Research

Dr. Ahmed Tolba

Research Project
Final Report

Sentiments of Youth about

Egypt’s Economy

ELIXIR
Intelligent Research Solutions

Ahmed El-Manayly
Youssof Hafez
Matthias Sauvagnac
Omar Ebada
 Table of Contents

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 2

Project Background ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Research Problems .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Research Design Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 5
Exploratory Research ........................................................................................................................................... 6
Secondary Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 7
Experts’ Interviews ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Focus Group and In-depth Interviews ............................................................................................................... 8
Qualitative Findings .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Research Questions and Hypotheses .............................................................................................................. 13
Conclusive Research .......................................................................................................................................... 14
Questionnaire Design...................................................................................................................................... 14
Sampling Technique and Data Collection ........................................................................................................ 18
Sample Characteristics and Descriptive Statistics ............................................................................................ 19
Data Analysis and Findings (Inferential Statistics and Hypotheses Testing)...................................................... 20
Main Conclusions............................................................................................................................................... 25
Managerial Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 26
References ......................................................................................................................................................... 29
Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................... 30
Experts’ Interviews Main Questions ................................................................................................................ 30
Expert’s Interviews Main Findings ................................................................................................................... 31
Focus Group and In-depth Interviews Discussion Guidelines ........................................................................... 32
Focus Group’s and In-depth Interviews’ Participants Data .............................................................................. 35
Questionnaire ................................................................................................................................................. 36
Sentiments Paired Sample Test Output for Gender & Age Groups ................................................................. 40

1
Executive Summary
Elixir Inc. is a market research agency based in Egypt dedicated to offer a wide range of data-driven,
evidence-based solutions including qualitative research, quantitative research, market insights as well as
business consultancy services. This research project is a collaboration with the Government of Egypt
(GoE) aiming to identify, analyze, and understand the sentiments of the Egyptian youth, who are under
the age of 30, about the recent economic reforms and the future of Egypt’s economy. The rationale
behind this research is that with better sentiments and higher trust and engagement, the GoE can harness
the Egyptian youth’s potentials and talents to improve the economy and increase the overall welfare of
the society. Hence, the managerial objective of this research is to develop proven, data-oriented
approaches by which the GoE can enhance the youth’s sentiments, trust, and therefore engagement in
implementing Egypt’s future strategies. The research design methodology is divided into exploratory
research and conclusive research. The exploratory research is qualitative in nature and aims to obtain
comprehensive background data by analyzing secondary data, conducting interviews with experts, a
focus group, and in-depth interviews with members of the target audience. The conclusive research is
mainly quantitative and crucial to generate reliable findings and recommendations and consists mainly
of a survey that would be designed based on the exploratory research findings and conducted with the
appropriate sampling method. The findings of the conclusive research would then be analyzed, compared
with the qualitative findings, and utilized to the drive conclusions and effective recommendations for the
GoE to improve youth’s sentiments and engagement.

ELIXIR
Intelligent Research Solutions

2
Project Background

After the 25th of January revolution in 2011, confronted with major social and political disruptions,
Egypt faced daunting economic challenges and pervasive social distortions that put the Egyptian
economy at stake. Starting 2014, however, the Government of Egypt (GoE) took the first steps towards
restoring the long-sought-after social and political stability, and in 2016, introduced its transformative
economic reform program with the aid of the IMF, among many other national projects that aimed to put
the foundation for Egypt’s promising future such as the New Suez Canal, New Administrative Capital,
and the National Roads Project1. This economic reform program is even thought to have been critical
in the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic implications in Egypt which heavily relied on the
economic resources of the country that were developed in the past few years thanks to the program2.
The Egyptian economy is also one of a few economies worldwide that are expected to achieve positive
growth rates during 2020, which further supports the success of the reforms3.

Building on the initial success of the reform program4, Egypt is now determined to implement “Vision
2030” which is a sustainable development strategy that aims to put Egypt among the world advanced
economies, but the overall success of such a strategy is highly reliant on the engagement,
involvement, and cooperation of the Egyptian youth with their government 5.

Since the GoE realizes the significance of youth empowerment and inclusion for building Egypt’s future,
it currently aims to understand their perceptions about the national projects and economic development
in the past few years as well as identifying their expectations for Egypt’s future. The objective is to
develop an influential communication and engagement scheme by which the Government of Egypt
can effectively address the Egyptian youth to improve their sentiments, trust, and involvement.

Client
The Government of Egypt (GOE). We are Elixir, a Market Research Agency.

1
IMF: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2019/07/24/na072419-egypt-a-path-forward-for-economic-prosperity
2
Ahram Online: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/367357/Business/Economy/Egypts-economic-reform- program-
has-helped-in-absor.aspx
3 IMF: https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/3/84724/Egypt-to-be-only-country-with-positive-economic-growth-in
4 World Bank: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/egypt/overview#3
5 Egypt 2030: http://www.arabdevelopmentportal.com/sites/default/files/publication/sds_egypt_vision_2030.pdf

3
Target Audience:
A&B classes Egyptian youth (between 18-29 years), who can be divided into 2 sections:

• University students (18-23 years old)

• Fresh graduates and young employees (24-29 years old)

➢ We decided to differentiate between the two groups because we expect the perspective of the
youth who entered the job market, who are. between 24-29 years old, to be more practical and
empirical than that of the university students.

Research Problem s

Management decision problem

• What should the Government of Egypt do to improve the youth's sentiments, trust, and
engagement?

Marketing research problem

• How do the Egyptian youth feel about the economic reform projects and what would make
them improve their trust and perception about their government’s efforts?

➢ We made sure our management and marketing research problems are focused and concise so
that we can develop the right research tools to help us obtain effective results.

4
Research Design Methodolog y*

Exploratory research:
➢ Important to get a better understanding and a comprehensive background about our topic to help
us design solid conclusive research that generates reliable findings. It includes:

• Analyzing secondary data (qualitative, mainly reviewing the recent studies and reports on
Egypt’s reform program and future 2030 vision).

• Interviews with experts (qualitative, to help us get empirical views about the current state
of the Egyptian economy and the role of youth in it).

• Focus group (qualitative, mainly with university students from AUC and some other
universities to identify their sentiments and perceptions the present and future of Egypt’s
economy as well as their trust in the GoE).

• In-depth interviews (qualitative, will be mainly conducted with some Egyptian university
students and fresh grads to understand their perceptions the present and future of Egypt’s
economy as well as their trust in the GoE).

Conclusive research
➢ Important to generate reliable and relevant findings that are practically useful in reaching
conclusions as well as decision making. It includes:

• Survey (quantitative, aiming to get reliable data and statistics about Egyptian youth’s
sentiments, awareness, and perceptions about the present and future of Egypt’s economy)

*ordered chronologically.

5
 Exploratory Research
This type of research is conducted to thoroughly investigate and comprehend the different elements of this
study, including the status quo of the Egyptian economy and its reforms as well as the relevant sentiments
and perceptions of the target audience of youth between 18-29 years old. The process includes conducting a)
Secondary Data Analysis, b) Expert Interviews, (c) Focus Group, and d) In-depth interviews. The findings of
these methods would thus be utilized to form hypotheses that would then be tested by the conclusive research
to generate reliable findings and strategic recommendations.

a) Secondary Data Analysis

• We concentrated our secondary data research on the studies and reports conducted by established
economic and financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World
Bank as well as other academic studies to find credible information about Egypt’s economic
reform programs and their effectiveness.

• As we have pointed in the background section, the overall evaluation of the reform programs is
positive, and Egypt has achieved constant economic progress and growth over the past few years6.

• The only aspects of criticism about the reform programs are how much their outcomes are felt by
the ordinary people on the ground as well as how the sentiments of the Egyptian youth, who are
the real drivers of economic growth, are there is in such efforts done by the GoE.

b) Experts’ Interviews (See Appendix, Pg. 30 ) : we did interviews with:

• Dr. Sahar Nasr

(Professor of Economics at AUC & Previous Minister of Investment)

• Dr. Ahmed El Safty

(Professor of Public Economics and Policy at AUC)

6
IMF on Egypt Reform Programs Effectiveness
https://enterprise.press/stories/2019/10/13/imf-out-with-final-review-of-egypts-reform-program/

6
 Interview Duration Medium Used Recruitment Process
Dr. Sahar Nasr 20 mins Office visit Current professor; contacted by email
Dr. Ahmed El Safty 25 mins Office visit Previous professor; contacted by email

(Comprehensive findings can be found integrated in the background section and the Appendix)

Main Expert Interviews’ Findings (See Appendix, Pg. 31)

1. Egypt is currently on the right economic and social track, and future forecasts are generally
positive. The GoE exerted great efforts to restore economic and social stability in Egypt after the
2011 and 2013 revolutions.

2. There is kind of inherent mistrust of government between youth due to the corruption and
injustice of the past regimes as well as the limited attention and care that were given to youth
empowerment. The current government started to realize this problem and is trying to address it
in the coming years.

3. The sentiments of the youth about the national projects and achievements in the past few years
were not very positive but are now improving by the day as positive economic results are
showing up. Their awareness was also somehow limited of such projects and efforts done by the
GoE and the government is to be blamed of that.

4. Youth are the main driver of growth, especially in emerging markets like Egypt which is rich in
human capital and youth power. Therefore, investing in developing the right communication
schemes that can build trust between the Egyptian youth and their government as well as
engaging them with Egypt’s 2030 vision and economic strategy is of great importance in the
success of such a vision.

➢ These findings, coupled with secondary data analysis, were significant to get empirical insights
about the current state of the Egyptian economy and understand more about the sentiments of the
youth, our target audience. The findings were hence utilized in developing effective research
tools, such as the discussion guidelines, for the next stage of qualitative research which
includes conducting a focus group as well as multiple in-depth interviews with members of the
target audience.

7
c) Focus Group and In-depth Interviews
Due to the Covid-19 implications, we had to slightly change our plans. We eventually had to do a smaller
focus group than planned due to the different technological and logistical difficulties faced, and we so
decided to compensate that by conducting a number of in-depth interviews within the same target group
which would then complement the focus group.

Discussion Guideline Overview (Full guide, See Appendix, Pg. 32)

used for both the focus group and in-depth interviews.

Target group:

• University students (18-23 years old) from AUC and some other Egyptian universities.
• Fresh graduates and young employees (24-29 years old) from different backgrounds.

Objectives of the Focus Group and In-depth Interviews:

• Getting information about the Egyptian youth’s sentiments and perceptions about the recent
achievements in Egypt’s economy as well as the future development strategy.

• Identifying the most effective communication methods the government can use when addressing
the youth as well as what messages to use.

• The focus group and in-depth interviews would also help us decide on the key questions to be used
in the survey we will conduct in the next quantitative phase of the project.

Main Flow of the guide

• Icebreakers/Opening questions
• Introductory questions about the general views of Egypt’s current reforms
• Transition questions to shift the focus more on the economic aspects
• Key specific questions about the youth’s perceptions about the economic situation post-2011
revolution, the national projects that were established starting 2014, and the economic reform
program.
• Brief information about the GoE’s economic efforts in the past few years to increase awareness
and re-test and observe perceptions.
• Direct questions about the sentiments and perceptions about Egypt’s future.
• Ending questions related to our client, the Government of Egypt, and the youth’s suggestions to
improve engagement and trust between them and their government.
8
Qualit ative F indi ngs ( F oc u s G r o u p an d In t er v i e ws )

Overview and Process: (Participants Data; See Appendix, Pg. 35)

• We did 1 focus group of 6 university students: 3 from AUC, 1 from MIU, and 2 from Ain
Shams University. All of them were males since we expected that girls might be shy to engage
with stranger males online.

➢ Medium: Zoom.
➢ Recruitment: Phone calls/WhatsApp (within our network).
➢ Date: Saturday, April 11, 2020.
➢ Duration: 40 mins + additional 10 mins for final thoughts.

• We did 10 personal interviews, 4 of them were fresh grads who are already employed (2
engineers, a pharmacist, and a financial analyst). We also focused more on doing interviews with
university students who are seniors, i.e. did internships before, to get more practical and
empirical perspectives.

➢ Medium: Phone calls/Zoom.

➢ Recruitment: Phone calls/WhatsApp (within our network).
➢ Date: Between April 7-April 13, 2020.
➢ Average Duration: 20-25 mins/Interview.

• The overall process was not very smooth; we had to re-schedule the focus group and some of
our interviews, and some of the participants we planned to include apologized eventually. Yet,
the information and insights we got were very valuable and relevant to our research and
helped us design our questionnaire.

9
 Analysis of the Focus Group and In-depth Interviews Results:
After analyzing the information we obtained from the focus group discussion as well as the in-depth
interviews, we observed that we have key insights and findings that were significant and frequent between
the participants. We followed the same order of questions in both the focus group and interviews and we
arrived at the following key insights:

I. The sentiments about “Egypt’s Economic Reforms” were generally positive, albeit with
some doubts.

Participants showed a general approval of the economic reforms that happened in Egypt during the past
few years and confirmed there was some observable progress. Yet, they emphasized the lack of
“adequate transparency and integrity” from the government side as limited information are
addressed about the current progress state of many national projects and economic reforms, and there is
no method available to inquire about that. This increases their doubts about these reforms. Some also
pointed out they are not fully aware of these reforms.

II. Expectations about the future of Egypt economically and socially were generally negative
during the period between 2011-2015, but they improved after that.

Participants asserted that 2011-2015 was a period of high uncertainty and major social and economic
disruptions and they hold many sides liable for that. That is why the felt then the future was going to be
difficult in Egypt. However, most of them now admit the GoE “deserves credit” for the current overall
social and economic stability although many said it all came at the expense of political freedoms and
youth empowerment.

III. There is limited knowledge about many of the national projects that Egypt is establishing
now as well as notable variance in the perceptions about the significance of these projects.

This is a critical observation. It was clear that most of the participants knew only a few examples of
the national projects in Egypt which are almost 20 projects now. When mentioning some more
examples to them, many said they heard about such projects, but they knew too little about them. About
perceptions, we had some supporting opinions of specific projects such as the National Roads Project
while there was general agreement that some projects, such as the New Capital, “were not
currently important” and instead the government should have increased the funding for health and
education.

10
IV. There is limited knowledge about the reasons behind the 2016 reform program done with
the IMF and some criticism for the government failure to mitigate its effects on the public.

The details of the 2016 economic reform program were some complex and it is apparent that the
government “did not exert enough efforts” to teach the youth about the program. That was the
main opinion of the participants. Some of them even blamed the government for having to undergo
such a tough economic program and not mitigating its implications on the public, especially that
the government cut many subsidies in a short amount of time. Participants of economics and finance
background were less criticizing of the government and had more understanding of the program.

V. After providing brief information about the economic reforms to the participants as well
as the visions behind these reforms, their perceptions and future expectations have slightly
improved, but the issue of doubts remained.

We attempted to provide the participants with information about the reform program and the national
projects, emphasizing the importance of these reforms for Egypt’s future. The perceptions in fact
slightly improved as some participants pointed out they understand the significance of these
projects, but they need the government to be more “transparent” and more “tolerant to criticism
and recommendations”. Other participants asserted the government “is taking some right decisions”
but it still needs to pay more attention to the opinions and problems of the youth. The expectations for
the future however was mainly positive since many participants believed that Egypt is “almost” on
the right track provided the GoE remains determined to achieve its visions and strategies.

VI. The GoE efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic locally was well received by the
participants and their perceptions of the government improved because of that.
We decided to ask the participants about how they perceive the GoE efforts to fight the Covid-19
pandemic and the perceptions were generally positive. Participants pointed out that they appreciated
that the government was always addressing the public and trying to spread the awareness about
the dangers of this pandemic. They emphasized the government can definitely do more than that, but
they were happy about the fast and strong reaction by the GoE. Their overall trust, therefore, have
improved.

11
VII. The participants’ recommendations for the GoE were mainly to “truly care about
empowering youth” as well as communicating with them with transparency and
consideration.

There was a common belief between participants that the GoE still does not give enough attention to
the youth empowerment although the youth are the majority of Egypt’s population. “That should be
tackled by the GoE and improved through real effective programs and initiatives for youth
development and inclusion in the job market and the decision making proces”. The government
should also focus on addressing the youth directly through appropriate platforms such as social
media, mobile applications, and SMS to inform them about the economic progress and motivate
them to participate in building Egypt’s future. The lack of information about economic reforms was
attributed the government failure to communicate openly, effectively, and transparently.

Conclusion

The youth’s perceptions about Egypt’s economic reforms are generally positive, yet there remain some
doubts and mistrust about the GoE’s transparency and tolerance to criticism. There is limited
knowledge about the visions behind the economic reform programs as well as many of the national
projects, which can mainly be attributed to the GoE failure to communicate effectively with the youth.
The youth generally acknowledge the efforts of the GoE but they need to feel more care, respect,
and empowerment from the government side in order to enhance their trust and perceptions. The
youth’s sentiments about the future of Egypt, economically and socially, remain mostly optimistic but
pending more efforts of the GoE to engage with the youth and exploit their powers and potentials.

➢ These qualitative findings will be the basis for developing research hypotheses and
designing the questionnaire to be used in the Conclusive Quantitative phase.

12
Research Questions and Hypotheses:
Building on the findings obtained from the qualitative research phase, we further emended our main research
questions and formulated the main research hypotheses that we are going to test in the conclusive quantitative
phase of our research. The research questions and hypotheses were all centered around our empirically
identified key factors: Sentiments, Awareness, and Trust.

RQ1: How are the youth’s general sentiments about Egypt’s reform programs?

➔ Hypothesis 1:

❏ H0: General sentiments are negative combined with many doubts and fears.

❏ Ha: Sentiments of the youth are generally positive. (probably with some doubts or fears)

RQ2: How much are the youth aware about the national projects and the economic reform program?

➔ Hypothesis 2:

❏ H0: Youth have relatively good knowledge about most of the economic reforms.

❏ Ha: Youth have relatively limited knowledge about the different economic reforms.

RQ3: How much trust the youth have in the GoE and its ability to improve the economy of Egypt?

➔ Hypothesis 3:

❏ H0: Youth have relatively high trust in the GoE’s ability to improve the economy.

❏ Ha: Youth have relatively limited trust in the GoE’s ability to improve the economy.

13
 Conclusive Research
This type of research is conducted to build on the qualitative research findings, test the research hypotheses,
and generate reliable and relevant findings that are practically useful in reaching conclusions as well as effective
recommendations. It is mainly quantitative in nature. The process includes a) Questionnaire Design; b)
Sampling Plan and Data Collection; c) Sample Characteristics & Descriptive Statistics; and d) Data Analysis
& Findings. The main findings of the conclusive research would be the basis for our strategic managerial
recommendations.

a) Questionnaire Design (Real Questionnaire; See Appendix, Pg. 36)

➢ Based on the qualitative findings and the hypotheses developed, we prepared a survey with a total of
31 questions. This is the main research tool for our conclusive research.

➢ Objective: obtain significant primary data about the Egyptian youth’s sentiments, economic
awareness, trust in the GoE to test our hypotheses and develop strategic recommendations

Question # Question Wording Answer Choices /Coding Research Questions

Hyoptheses

What is your evaluation of 1-5 Semantic Differential

Q1 the recent economic (Importance) RQ
initiatives done by the H1
Egyptian government?
Q2
What are your general RQ1
sentiments about the future 1-5 Semantic Differential H1
of Egypt’s economy? (Optimism)

Q3
Egypt’s economy has 1-5 Likert Scale RQ1
improved over the past few H1
years.

Q4 The Egyptian government

has efficiently managed its 1-5 Likert Scale RQ1
economic resources H1
recently.

14
 Q5 The government of
Egypt was effective in
dealing with the
economic issues over
the past few years.
Q6 The recent reform
programs were
necessary to save the
Egyptian economy
The Egyptian government
Q7 reduced the economic
reforms’ harsh consequences
on the public.
The Egyptian government is
Q8 transparent/honest about the
economic progress achieved
recently
How familiar are you
with each of the
Q9-Q17
following national
projects?
How would you evaluate
Q18 the overall importance of
Egypt’s new national
projects?
1-5 Likert Scale RQ1
H1
1-5 Likert Scale RQ1
H1
1-5 Likert Scale RQ1
H1
RQ1
H1
1-5 Likert Scale
1. Benban Solar Park
2. Damietta Furniture City RQ2
3.1.5 Million Feddan Project H2
4. Maspero Triangle
5. New Al Alamain City
6. New Al Galala City
7. Integrated East Port Said Area
8. The National Roads Project
9. The Golden Triangle
(1-5 Semantic-Differential Scale)
RQ2
1-5 Semantic Differential H2
15
 In 2016, Egypt collaborated
with the IMF and started a RQ2
Q19 tough but necessary 1-5 Semantic Differential H2
economic reform program.
How familiar are you with
the Egypt’s reform program
with the IMF?

The Egyptian
government provided
Q20 RQ2
enough information to
the youth about the H2
economic reforms 1-5 Likert scale
programs. How much do
you agree with this
statement?

How strong is your trust in

the government’s ability RQ3
Q21
to improve the 1-5 Semantic Differential H3
economy in the coming
10 years?

How would you evaluate

Q22 the government 1-5 Semantic Differential RQ3
involvement of youth in (weak – strong) H3
building the future of the
Egyptian economy?

16
 ▪ Focus on youth empowerment and
inclusion
▪ Offer forums and events to raise
awareness
Rate the importance of ▪ Communicate frequently with
each of the following youth through social media
Q23-Q27 recommendations for the platforms RQ3
Egyptian government to ▪ Emphasize transparency and H3
gain the youth’s trust and integrity
support? ▪ Provide space for listening to
youth’s opinions, problems, and
recommendation.

(1-5 Semantic Differential)

The Egyptian economy

is one of a few
economies worldwide
that are expected to
achieve positive growth RQ1
rates during 2020, 1-5 Semantic Differential H1
Q28 thanks to the recent (Optimism)
economic reform
programs. Based on this
data, how are your
general sentiments about
the future of Egypt's
economy?
1 Male
Q29 Please state your gender Demographics
2 Female
Question
1. <17 y/o
Demographics
Q30 What is your age? 2. 17-23 y/o
Question
2. 24-29 y/o
3. 30 & above y/o
1. Student
Demographics
Q31 What is your current 2. Employee
Question
occupation/ 3. Entrepreneur
profession? 4. Other (please specify)

17
b) Sampling Technique and Data Collection

❏ Technique Used: Snowball ––Target Population (17-29 years old)

The initial group of respondents was selected from our close networks conveniently and at random. Most of our
network in fact are university students who are within our target population, which made the distribution process
easier at the beginning. Subsequent waves of respondents were hence recruited based on the referrals of our
initial group, and so most them were from the networks of our networks. The distribution mediums were mainly
online and ranging from WhatsApp messages to social media platforms like Facebook groups and Instagram as
well as emails. We started data collection on Sunday April 26 till Tuesday May 5, 2020, for a total of 10 days.

➢ Limitations: Since Snowball is a non-probability sampling technique, the limitations related are mainly
non-sampling errors such as some bias or false, careless information provided in the respondents’
answers generally due to them having limited knowledge and/or interest in the topic of our survey. There
might also be some sampling errors giving that our sample might not be adequately representative of
our target population, especially that we only focus on youth from A&B classes who are within the
reach of our networks.

➢ Data collection: After 10 days of an active data collection process, on which we relied on the help and
efforts of our networks, we collected a total of 252 responses, 19 of which were filtered because they
belonged to respondents outside our target population age groups, and we so had a net of 233 responses.

Filtered Responses
Total Responses Net Responses
(irrelevant age groups)

252 -19 233

18
 c) Sample Characteristics & Descriptive Statistics

Gender and Age Sample Statistics

120
100 98
100

80

Count
60

40 30

20
5
0
Male Female
Gender

Table 1 Age 17-23 years 24-29 years

Figure 1

On gender basis, after filtration, we got a total of 130 male responses (58% of total responses) compared to
103 female responses (42% of total responses) (Table 1) (Figure 1) . The male responses are divided into 100
responses from the younger age group (77% of total male responses) and 30 responses from the older age groups
(23% of total male responses). The female responses, however, are divided into 98 responses from the younger
age group (95% of total female responses) and only 5 responses from the older age group (5% of total female
responses). The limited number of female responses in the older age group is frankly a limitation in our sample
that we strived to avoid in our data collection process but attaining response from the older age group was rather
difficult which did not allow us enough control on the gender base of this age group. We thus hope there is low
variance in economic sentiments between males and females of the older age group.

Our sample included only 2 age groups after filtration. The younger group (17-23 years old) was predominately
university students and constituted a total of 198 responses (85% of total responses). The older group (24-29
years old) was predominately employees and constituted a total of 35 responses (15% of total responses) (Table
1). While the number of respondents from the older age group is much smaller compared to the younger age
group, reaching and convincing older youth to participate in the survey were much more difficult and we,
alongside our initial group of respondents, did try to contact as many as 100 older-age-group respondents but
the response rate was merely around 35-40%. As shown in Figure 2, we almost got the same number of
responses from males and females in the younger age group, while in the older age group the number of male
responses was 6x the number of female responses, which is a clear limitation.

19
 d) Data Analysis and Findings
Inferential Statistics & Hypothesis Testing ( α = 0.05)

1. Testing Hypotheses: One-Sample T-test (Test value: 3.25/5)

▪ We assumed a minimum level of 65% as an average value for each variable tested. That is, 3.25 on a scale
of 1-5 used in the main variables analyzed in this test.

▪ Main variables tested: Youth’s General Sentiments, Economic Awareness, and Trust in the GoE.

Table 2

Table 3

▪ As evident in the data shown in Table 2 and Table 3, using a test value of 3.25, we could
prove with a high level of confidence (95%<):
st
▪ 1 Ha: Sentiments of the youth are generally positive.
nd
▪ 2 Ha: Youth have relatively limited knowledge about Egypt’s economic reforms.
rd
▪ 3 Ha: Youth still have relatively limited trust in the Egyptian government.

20
2. Analyzing the Main Hypothesis: Multiple Regression (R-square: 59.2%)

▪ We wanted to identify the main variables that significantly affect the General Sentiments of the youth.
▪ We analyzed several independent variables until we reached the 5 most significant variables affecting
Youth’s General Sentiments. The model has an R-square level of 59.2%.

▪ These variables are: Youth’s Economic Awareness, Economy Improvement, Government

Transparency, Effectiveness of Dealing with Economic Issues, & Involvement of Youth by the GoE.

Table 4

High levels of
confidence

Table 5

▪ The 5 independent variables were all positively correlated with Youth’s General Sentiments (Table 5).
▪ As evident in Table 5, the 5 selected variables are all significant (their p-value < α) meaning that we could
prove with high confidence that these variables significantly positively affect Youth’s General Sentiments
which are the dependent variable.

▪ By analyzing the Standardized Beta Coefficients of these variables, we could arrange them in a descending
order according to the significance of their effect on General sentiments. The variables are thereby ordered
in Table 5.
▪ The most significantly influential variable, based on this test, is Economic Awareness followed by
Economic Improvement and Government Transparency then Effectiveness of Dealing with Economic
Issues, & Involvement of Youth. Improving these factors would therefore improve General Sentiments.

21
3. Analyzing the Main Hypothesis II: One-Sample T-test (Test value: 3.25/5)

▪ To capitalize on the findings of the previous tests, we wanted to find out which variables have higher
potential for improvement.

▪ We decided to identify the means of the 5 independent variables and compare them to a test value of 3.25..

Table 6

Table 7

▪ Based on this test, and as shown in Table 7, we could prove with a high level of confidence (99%<) that the
means of 3 of the tested independent variables are significantly lower than the average test value, which
means they have high potential for improvement.

▪ The 3 independent variables, arranged in descending order based on potential for improvement,
are: Involvement of Youth by the GoE, Economic Awareness, and Govt Transparency.

▪ It important to mention here however that Economic Awareness is the most significant factor
affecting General Sentiments as proven in the last test, so it has the highest relative potential for
improving the youth’s general sentiments.
22
 4. Emphasizing the Findings: Paired Sample T-test

▪ Now that we identified some main findings related to our management problem, we wanted to
emphasize these findings with an experiment.

▪ We asked the respondents first about their General Sentiments (1) about Egypt’s economy, then provided
them with positive economic information that could improve their Awareness and Trust, then we re-tested
their General Sentiments (2).

▪ Our assumption was that providing positive information would improve General Sentiments.

Table 8

Table 9

▪ As evident in the data shown in Table 8 and Table 9, The result was positive and significant.
▪ There is an evident increase in the mean of General Sentiments before and after the experiment of 0.253 with
a significance of more than 99%.
▪ We could therefore prove with more than 99% confidence that communicating positive economic
information has improved the General Sentiments of the youth about Egypt’s economy, which again
emphasizes the importance of raising the youth’s economic awareness and fostering their government trust.

❏ N.B., we did this paired sample t-test again but with comparing the information effect between our two age
groups and then our two genders to examine whether the effect was higher on a certain age group or a gender
relative to the other, which might have provided further insightful findings. However, the results were not
significant in both tests so we could not prove such a difference in effect exists. (See Appendix, Pg. 40)

23
5. Emphasizing the Findings II: One-Sample T-test & Paired Sample T-test

▪ To further enhance our final managerial recommendations, we provided our survey respondents with 5
key suggested recommendations for the GoE to improve the youth’s sentiments and trust that we proposed
based on the findings of our qualitative research.

▪ We therefore asked the respondents to evaluate the importance of each recommendation on a 1-5 scale.
Their responses might hence further emphasize our findings from the previous tests before we build on them.

Table 10

Table 11

▪ As evident in Table 10 which indicates the One-Sample Test, we noticed 4 of the proposed
recommendations were significantly above our test value, with varying degrees. These 4 recommendations
ordered based on significance are: Youth Empowerment, Government Transparency, Providing Space
to Listen to Youth’s Opinions & Issues, and Online Communication through Social Media Platforms.

▪ After comparing the means of the 4 selected recommendations, as evident in Table 11 which indicates
the Paired Sample Test, we found with high confidence that Youth Empowerment & Government
Transparency are almost equally significant coming first, then Providing Space for Youth Opinions, then
finally Online Communication through Social Media Platforms.

❏ These results in fact further support our previous findings which emphasized that
communication, transparency, and trust are as the most significant factors for improving General
Sentiments of Youth.
24
Main Conclusions
This research was a scrupulous attempt by Elixir to identify, analyze, and draw effective managerial
conclusions from the Egyptian youth’s sentiments on the economic initiatives and future strategies
implemented by the Government of Egypt. We strived to recognize the major factors affecting the
general sentiments of youth as well as to identify the other significant elements that do shape the
relationship between the Egyptian youth and their government. The objective we had from the first day
was to provide the GoE with effective recommendations and strategies that might enhance the Egyptian
youth’s sentiments, awareness, and trust and therefore improve their engagement and involvement in
building Egypt’s future alongside their government.

Based on our qualitative and quantitative research findings, it was proven with
statistical significance that:

❏ Sentiments of the Egyptian youth about the economy are generally positive,
albeit with some doubts.

❏ The Egyptian youth have relatively limited knowledge about Egypt’s

economy and its recent reforms. Most of them blame the GoE for that.

❏ The Egyptian youth still have relatively limited trust in the GoE, although
their trust has been improving over the past few years.

❏ The Egyptian youth generally believe the GoE has a lot to achieve to
enhance their sentiments & trust, the most significant of which are:

- Supporting youth empowerment

- Enhancing government transparency, fairness, and integrity
- Embracing strong, enriching, modern communication with youth.

25
Managerial Recommendations

1. Communication is Key. The most significant factor affecting sentiments

➢ Objective: raise the youth’s awareness about the economic reforms & future strategies, and thus
enhancing their trust and engagement

❖ Launch a major engagement campaign targeting youth between 17 -

29 years old under the name of “Egypt values You” - “ ‫” مرص تقدرك‬.
The campaign should provide insights about the recent national projects & the economic progress
and encourage youth to engage with the GoE in implementing the its promising 2030
development vision.

❖ Launch a website with the same name of the campaign to act as a

space for communication and dialogue between the GoE and th e
Egyptian Youth.
The website should be a space where the GoE provides updated info about the economy, listen
to youth’s opinions, issues, and recommendations, and announces new job opportunities,
competitions, and events.

❖ Communicating with high school and university students directly by

arranging lectures, forums, or speeches to be addressed in their
campuses during active semesters, featuring prominent officials in the
GoE.
These events would be part of the major “Egypt values You” program and should provide a space
for dialogue and ground for respect and trust between the GoE and the Egyptian youth. The
government officials should utilize these events to address and inform the youth about the
significant matters related to the economy and politics of their country, and be eager to engage
in a healthy, productive discussion with them, allowing them the freedom to express their
opinions, issues, fears, and recommendations. The events should turn into a custom that is done
every semester.

26
2. Govt Transparency is a Must.
➢ Objective: address the youth’s doubts and concerns about the corruption and unfairness in the public
sector and hence enhance their respect and trust in the GoE.

❖ Start a broad government-supported program aiming to abolish

corruption and cronyism in the public sector as well as fostering
transparency and integrity.
The program should have clear visions and targets to achieve within a specified timeline. The
program should also be supported by the President as well as the Parliament and the Judiciary
to ensure it is strictly implemented across all the public sector entities.

❖ The program should be communicated to the public well, especially

to the youth, through a major campaign with a proposed name of
“Transparency drives Development” “‫”بالشفافية ننهض‬.
It would be favorable if the transparency campaign coincided with the youth’s engagement
campaign to convey a stronger feeling among the youth of the GoE’s desire to achieve real
positive change.

❖ Establishing a strict medium-term strategy for achieving real digital

transformation across the various public sector’s functions and
activities. This is an indeed crucial requirement.
Shifting to more digitalized computer-based systems especially in the bureaucratic-to-the-very-
core Egyptian public sector would constitute a true leap towards abolishing corruption and
embedding transparency and integrity. The GoE should truly embrace such a shift to gain the
youth’s long-lasting trust and support.

27
3. Economic Progress should be Sustained while Empowering Youth .
➢ Objective: build on the current positive sentiments of youth and exploit their potentials and talents.

❖ Egypt has achieved notable economic progress in the past few years,
and it should be sustained in the future to keep the sentiments of the
youth positive and encourage them to engage.
This requires following a clear, strict economic strategy to ensure the economy will keep
advancing.

❖ The GoE should work on enhancing the youth inclusion in all the
different forms of the government activities. That is, the Egyptian
youth should be well represented in the Parliament and all the
leading positions in the public sector.
Egypt’s real wealth is its youth and many of them are of high caliber and can effectively and
efficiently perform in all the important and critical positions in the government and the public
sector. This should be the message that the GoE embraces and addresses to the public in order
to achieve a real positive change in the future.

❖ Empowering youth cannot take place with out a revolution against the
established tradition and notion of considering age the most
important factor for leadership and responsibility.
Changing this established perception would definitely take time but the GoE should be keen on
achieving such as shift since it is key for a more youth-oriented, truly advancing economy.

28
 References

▪ “ASSESSING EGYPT’S ECONOMIC REFORM.” The Tahrir Institute for Middle East
Policy, Oct. 2018, https://timep.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TIMEP-EET-report_10-29-18-
mks-edits-new-1.pdf.

▪ “Egypt: A Path Forward for Economic Prosperity.” IMF, 24 July 2019,

www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2019/07/24/na072419-egypt-a-path-forward-for-
economic-prosperity.

▪ “Egypt's Economy - Overview.” World Bank,

www.worldbank.org/en/country/egypt/overview#3.

▪ “Egypt's Economic Reform Program Has Helped in Absorbing Economic Shocks: IMF's
Jihad Azour - Economy - Business.” Ahram Online,
www.english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/367357/Business/Economy/Egypts-
economic-reform-program-has-helped-in-absor.aspx.

▪ “Egypt to Be Only Country with Positive Economic Growth in MENA at 2% in

2020:IMF.” EgyptToday, Apr. 2020, www.egypttoday.com/Article/3/84724/Egypt-to-be-
only-country-with-positive-economic-growth-in.

▪ “Egypt Vision 2030.” June 2018,

http://www.arabdevelopmentportal.com/sites/default/files/publication/sds_egypt_vision_2
030.pdf

▪ “IMF out with Final Review of Egypt's Reform Program.” Enterprise, 13 Oct. 2019,
www.enterprise.press/stories/2019/10/13/imf-out-with-final-review-of-egypts-reform-
program/.

29
 Appendix

I. Experts’ Interviews Main Questions: -

1. What do you think about the state of the Egyptian economy nowadays? Do you think the
economic reform program was a success?
2. What are the major national projects that were established in the past few years? What was the
significance of such projects?
3. How do you see the future of Egypt, especially regarding its economy?
4. How do you feel about the general sentiments of the Egyptian youth regarding past few years as well
as the future of Egypt?
5. What factors do you think contribute most to influencing the youth’s perceptions of Egypt’s
future?
6. What initiatives does the government take to highlight those factors?
7. What areas do you think the government must work on to improve the youth’s future outlook? When
has the government fallen short on catering to the demands and expectations of the youth in this
regard?
8. What fears do you believe the youth are most concerned with when considering the future?
9. What roles do culture and society play when it comes to optimism/pessimism? To what extent do
cultural and social factors impact the psyche of the Egyptian youth when analyzing their future
prospects?
10. What do you think is the most realistic, effective route that the government can pursue in the future
to improve general sentiments about the future of Egypt?

30
II. Experts’ Interviews Main Findings

▪ Egypt is currently on the right economic and social track, and future forecasts are positive.

▪ The 2016 economic reform program, as well as the different national projects that were established,
were crucial to re-gain the local and international trust in Egypt’s economy and to put the foundation
for a stable country with consistent economic development and a promising future.

▪ The President and the Government of Egypt greatly value the role of the Egyptian youth and are
looking forward for their engagement and contribution in building Egypt’s future. This was evident,
for example, through the several Youth Forums that were conducted in the past few years and was
sponsored directly by the President to encourage and support the youth.

▪ The sentiments of the youth about the national projects and achievements in the past few years were
not very positive but are now improving by the day. However, the Government of Egypt still
needs to work more on addressing and engaging the Egyptian youth with its future vision and strategy
to make the best of their potentials.

▪ Youth are the main driver of growth, especially in emerging markets like Egypt which is rich in
human capital and youth power. Therefore, investing in developing the right communication schemes
that can build trust between the Egyptian youth and their government as well as engaging them with
Egypt’s 2030 vision and economic strategy is of great importance in the success of such a vision.

▪ The GoE should start launching campaigns and programs that empower the youths and support them
in achieving their goals and dreams. It should also increase the percentage of youth in all the public
sector jobs and key positions. Moreover, the GoE should address the youth with a modern language
and rationale that appeal to their minds and hopes in order to gain their trust and support.

31
III. Focus Group and In-depth Interviews Discussion Guideline
Since we had to do the focus group online giving the current situation, we thought it is better to
shorten the guide to make it more concise and suitable for the participants.

Icebreakers/Opening Quesitons:

• Ask the participants to introduce themselves briefly: names, ages, universities, and majors.

• Icebreakers:
o Now that we are living in the extraordinary time of Covid-19, how are you coping? Any good
tips or news to share?
o How is online instruction? Does it feel good to learn from home?
• Explain what a focus group is.
• Introduce the study background, objectives, expectations, and other logistics.

Introductory Question:

“What is the first thought that comes to your mind when I say, “Egypt’s Economic Reforms”?”

^It is important for us here to observe whether the said thoughts are generally positive or negative.

Transition Questions:

• If there’s one thing you can reform/change in Egypt, what would it be?
• How satisfied are you with the current state of Egypt? Economically and socially.

Key Questions #1:

“The Egyptian economy experienced almost a recession in the period after the 2011 revolution”

• What do you think were the reasons for that?

• Did you expect Egypt would get over such difficult economic and social challenges?

“We understand that these questions might bring some irrelevant political or social arguments
and tension, so we will make sure to stay focused on the economic aspects and generally move
quickly to the next set of questions.”

32
Key Questions #2:

“Starting 2014, Egypt focused on establishing major national projects”

• What examples of recent national projects in Egypt that you remember?

➢ Probing question: What is your perception about “this” project?

• Have you ever heard about Suez Canal Economic Zone? Benban Solar Park? Or Damietta
Furniture City? (and other examples of new national projects)
➢ Probing question: What is your perception about these projects?
➢ Probing question: What do you think are the reasons you don’t know enough about
this/these project/s?

• In your opinion, which national projects were of great significance and which were not?

Key Questions #3:

“In 2016, Egypt launched its transformative economic reform program with the aid of the IMF”

• What do you know about this reform program? We want to know your perception about:
o the EGP flotation,
o increasing interest rates,
o and reducing the government subsidies
-which were the pillars of this program.

• Do you think Egypt “really had” to undergo such a tough reform program?
➢ Probing question: Why did/didn’t Egypt have to?
➢ Probing question: Do you trust that the government took the right economic decision?

• After more than 3 years since its start, how would evaluate the economic reform program?

❖ At this point, and following the recommendation we had in the feedback, we plan to
introduce brief information and facts about the recent major national projects and the
rationale behind the 2016 Economic Reform Program done in collaboration with the
IMF. We also plan to explain the role of the government in achieving the current
economic growth and stability, and then re-test and observe their perceptions.

33
Key Questions #4:

Based on the economic facts we have just told you:

• How do you perceive the economic performance of the Egyptian government in the past 3-5
years? Have your perceptions changed?

• Have you personally felt the improvement of the Egyptian economic performance/outcome in the
past few years? Elaborate more if you can.

• What are your expectations for Egypt’s economy in the coming 10 years?
➢ Probing question: Have you heard about Egypt Vision 2030? What is your perception of it?

Key Questions #5: Coronavirus reflections

• How would you evaluate the GoE efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic locally?
• Have your perceptions changed about the effectiveness and capabilities of the GoE?
• Have you heard about the GoE’s “Ahalina” initiative to financially support irregular
workers during this tough time? What do you think of it?

Ending Key Questions:

• How much do you trust the current Egyptian government? Do you think it can set the foundation
for a promising future for Egypt?
• Do you think the current Egyptian government care enough about youth empowerment and
inclusion?
• What do you think about the government’s communication methods with the youth? How can the
government improve the ways by which it addresses the youth?

❖ What are your ideas and recommendations for the government to communicate with the

youth and the public so as to promote the promising Egyptian reform projects?

34
IV. Focus Group’s and In-depth Interviews’ Participants Data

Name Age Occupation Entity

Focus
Group Adham Abdelaty 22 Student AUC

Paula Victor 21 Student AUC

Marwan Abdelsattar 23 Student AUC

Ahmed Shouman 22 Student MIU

Ehab Emara 23 Student Ain Shams University

Khaled Gebril 23 Student Ain Shams University

In-depth
Interviews Amal Emara 26 Pharmacist Owner

Ahmed Sharafeldin 25 Analyst Qalaa Holding

Ahmed Hesham 27 Engineer Petrojet

Omar Elyan 28 Engineer Arab Contractors

Khaled Essam 21 Student AUC

Assem El Fahar 19 Student Helwan University

Yasmin Elmanayly 19 Student Kasr El-Ainy Medical School

Nadine Rashed 22 Student AUC

Christine Mounir 21 Student AUC

Radwa El-Sadek 20 Student AUC

35
V. Questionnaire (This is a high-quality version of the real survey used in this study ; zoom in)

36
37
38
39
VI . Sentiments Paired Sample Test Output for Gender & Age Groups

1. Output for Gender: Not Significant

2. Output for Age Groups: Not Significant

40