Young People in Egypt: Current Situation and Life Changes over a 13-year period (SYPE 2024) I.	Project Summary  
The Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) is a nationally representative longitudinal survey that examines changes in various aspects of young people’s lives over time. The survey offers policymakers a unique opportunity to make evidence-based decisions that address young people’s needs and aspirations and provides researchers with a powerful data source to examine the causes and consequences of various interventions and outcomes. The first round of SYPE was conducted in 2009 (in the immediate aftermath of the global financial crisis) and the second round was conducted in 2014 (after the Egyptian revolution) – offering policymakers and researchers a unique and valuable trove of data on the lives of young people in Egypt before and after the Revolution. Results of the two rounds have been widely used to formulate policies and programs for young people in Egypt.

Thirteen years after the original survey was conducted, we now have a unique opportunity to take another look at how the lives of the young people interviewed in 2009 (when they were aged 10-29 years) and reinterviewed in 2014 (when they aged 14-34 year) have continued to evolve. SYPE 2022 will return to the same cohort of young people who participated in SYPE 2009 and 2014 and who were 10-29 years old in 2009. In 2022 those men and women are currently aged 22-42 years. In addition, SYPE 2022 will interview a fresh sample of young people 10-21. When this sample is added to the panel sample which is currently aged 22-42, we will have a sample of approximately 14,000 men and women aged 10-42. Additionally, SYPE 2022 will include a sample of young people with physical disabilities (YPWPD) aged 10-29 who have not been interviewed before. Since SYPE examines transitions to adulthood it is important
to start as early as age 10 as many of the events that impact adulthood start in very early adolescence (e.g., FGM/C, discrimination between boys and girls and others). Drawing on the Council’s research on early adolescence, including children as young as 10 years, is important to capture life events which may have a significant impact on individuals health and wellbeing in adult years.

With support from Netherlands Embassy in Cairo, USAID, UNFPA and UNICEF the Population Council is embarking on a third round of the Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE 2024).  The new round will be conducted in partnership with CAPMAS and Cairo Demographic Center under the auspices of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. Survey Objectives 

The Population Council will be conducting a third and modified round of the Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) with the following objectives: 
(1) Understanding the effects of the various social and economic reforms and events (e.g. COVID 19) on various sub-groups of young people (e.g. male / female, rich/ poor, urban / rural/informal settings etc.)
(2) Assessing the current situation of young people aged 10-29 with regard to health, education, employment, marriage and family formation, gender attitudes, COVID-19, climate change and other indicators.
(3) Understanding transitions to adulthood amongst young people with disabilities, challenges and opportunities they have to fulfill their full potential. III.	Activities completed during the reporting period (January – December 2023):
The following activities were completed during the reporting period:
•	Meetings with CAPMAS to update the survey instruments: During March- April 2023, The Population Council in collaboration with CAPMAS staff reviewed and updated the questionnaire. 
•	Meetings with CAPMAS to address concerns by security agencies: PC Legal Advisor and Field Operations Manager held several meetings with CAPMAS officials to respond to concerns raised by security officials. Some of those concerns centered around data ownership and collection of data from Frontier governorates. 
•	Young People with disabilities qualitative study: This study examines marriage, family formation and reproductive health needs among young people with disabilities.  A protocol was drafted and shared with an Advisory Group of experts for feedback.  In November 2023, the Council held three days of training for data collectors. Data collection for this study started in December 2023 and will be completed in early 2024.  The study includes 40 young men and women with motor, sensory and intellectual disabilities. 
•	Securing approval for conducting the survey: On November 23, 2023 PC received a notification letter from MOPED indicating that CAPMAS had received approval from security agencies to proceed with the Survey in collaboration with PC, MOPED and CDC. 

IV.	Challenges and lessons learned: 


The main challenge that PC faced in 2023 was delays in securing security approvals for conducting the Survey.  Securing approvals took more than 12 months to be issued by CAPMAS.  Also, security authorities requested that results not be released until they are cleared by CAPMAS.  

V.	Activities to be completed in 2024:
•	Designing a computer program for data entry: The Population Council in cooperation with CAPMAS staff will review and pilot test the questionnaire after designing the questionnaire program on the tablets. 

•	Fieldwork training: The Population Council in cooperation with CAPMAS staff will conduct fieldwork training for the data collection team. The Training will be conducted for one month, including pilot testing of data collection instruments and procedures. 

•	Data collection: Data collection for the quantitative component will start in April 2024. This activity also includes collecting data for the other three qualitative studies. 

•	Further cleaning and preparing the dataset: Upon receiving the final clean tape from CAPMAS, Analysis of SYPE 2024 quantitative data will be led by CDC with technical assistance from the Population Council.  We will also compute the sampling weights, expansion factors, and standard errors, as well as compiling the panel dataset of all SYPE waves. 

•	Analysis of cross-sectional data: Three data sets will be produced with their sampling weights. The first is a cross sectional data set of young people aged 10-29 (disaggregated by age (10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29). The second is a panel data set that includes information from the three rounds of SYPE and will involve matching of 2009, 2014 and 2022 data sets. The third data set will pertain to young people with disabilities aged 10-29, disaggregated by age (10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29) and who were only interviewed in 2024. 

•	Analysis of qualitative data for the four studies (disabilities study as well as other three studies).  

•	Sharing preliminary results with Advisory Group members and soliciting their feedback.