DOHA: Representing a resounding vote of confidence in the Middle East and North Africa’s (Mena) future outlook, three-quarters of Arab youth, the region’s largest demographic, say their best days are ahead of them in the fifth annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, released yesterday.
An overwhelming 74 percent of all Arab youth surveyed in 15 countries across Mena agree with the statement: “Our best days are ahead of us”. Arab youth have a greater sense of national identity after the Arab Spring, with 87 percent saying they are “more proud to be an Arab”.
And being paid a fair wage and home ownership remain their highest priorities, and rising living costs their top concern.
Nearly a third of the respondents expressed concern about inflation, saying the rising cost of living is a bigger worry than terrorism or any other issues.
The survey, conducted by ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, a leading public relations consultancy in Mena, aimed at providing reliable data and insights about the attitudes and aspirations of the region’s 200 million youth population to the decision makers.
As part of the survey, international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) interviewed 3,000 Arab nationals aged between 18 and 24 in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Yemen. The survey was conducted between December 2012 and January 2013.
In each of the 15 countries surveyed, the majority are optimistic about the future, with a nearly equal percentage of youth in the Gulf and non-Gulf states (76 percent and 72 percent, respectively) saying “our best days are ahead of us”.
More than half (58 percent) believe their country is “heading in the right direction” considering the last 12 months, while 55 percent say their national economy is also heading in the right direction. In the wake of the Arab Spring, regional youth are prouder than ever of their national identity – and they increasingly embrace modern values and beliefs. Nearly nine out of 10 young Arabs (87 percent) feel “more proud to be an Arab” following the uprisings, and 59 percent believe recent changes in their country will have a positive impact on them and their family. The Peninsula
