الفقر في سوريا والعوامل المؤثرة عليه – ريف اللاذقية أنموذجاً –

Abstract

To study the economic and social factors affecting poverty in rural Lattakia Governorate (based on the international poverty line of $2.15 for  person per day) and to identify the most significant of these factors, a multiple linear regression model was used. The study relied primarily on primary data from a random sample of 382 households in rural Lattakia during September 2023. This was followed by designing an appropriate questionnaire and collecting and analyzing the data. The results showed that the majority of the rural population suffers from poverty and economic vulnerability, with the poverty rate reaching approximately 88.2%. Economic characteristics explained an estimated 72.1% of rural household poverty, compared to approximately 84.2% for social characteristics. Among the economic factors studied, there was a significant positive effect of the variable of affordability of non-food items, compared to a significant negative effect of both agriculture as a primary source of income and household financial obligations on poverty. As for social factors, household ownership of agricultural or private machine  had a significant positive effect, while the coping mechanism used, dependency ratio, and the presence of a chronic health condition in the household each had a significant negative effect on poverty. The study recommended monitoring the studied economic and social variables periodically, taking them into account when formulating development policies and programs related to poverty reduction. This would ensure more realistic and effective monitoring, contributing to rural development and reducing poverty.