Erosion of financial support for families in Lebanon

A survey by Mercy Corps found that 19% of families have no support network and 43% said their networks shrank over the past year, while the average number of people a family can turn to for help did not exceed 1.13. The survey, titled 'Informal Social Protection amid Conflict in Lebanon,' covered data on 1,082 families receiving cash assistance in South Lebanon, Baalbek-Hermel and Akkar, plus separate data on 321 displaced families in July 2026. Results showed that relatives were the most common source of help at 52%, followed by friends at 23%, while only 24% of families in South Lebanon provided any form of support to others. The survey concluded that informal social protection networks are fragile and eroding, and called for combining emergency cash assistance with livelihood support and prioritizing families without support networks.