Social Security Inclusion and Multidimensional Social Integration Among Young Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Türkiye: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

This study examined whether social security inclusion was associated with multidimensional social integration among young Syrian refugees (18–29) in Jordan and Türkiye. A comparative cross-sectional survey was administered using a harmonized questionnaire (N = 1,200; 600 per country). Social security inclusion was measured as reported enrollment/coverage supported by verification indicators, while social integration was operationalized as a composite index with sub-dimensions capturing economic participation, connectedness, participation, and belonging. Economic security and vulnerability/coping were measured as multi-item indices and were tested as pathways linking inclusion to integration. Employment formality was operationalized as formal/protected versus informal work based on core formality indicators. Shock exposure during the past 12 months (illness, work injury, income loss) and perceived legal, administrative, and economic barriers were also measured. Descriptive results showed limited social security inclusion, low formal/protected employment relative to overall employment, widespread shock exposure, and moderate-to-high barriers in both countries. Regression models indicated that social security inclusion was positively associated with overall social integration in Jordan and Türkiye, with stronger associations observed for economic participation and belonging than for participation. Inclusion was associated with higher economic security and lower vulnerability/coping, and indirect-effect analysis indicated that these pathways accounted for a substantial share of the inclusion–integration association. Employment formality strongly predicted inclusion and was positively associated with integration among working respondents. Among shock-exposed respondents, inclusion was associated with lower hardship and social exclusion risk, and interaction models supported a buffering pattern. Barriers were negatively associated with both inclusion and integration, indicating a persistent implementation gap. These findings suggested that expanding practical access to protected employment and social security coverage could strengthen youth integration trajectories in both host-country contexts.

Keywords: social security inclusion; social integration; Syrian refugees; employment formality; Jordan and Türkiye

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/155-03

Publication date: August 28th 2026