52% of Arab Youth believe their country is heading in the right direction

It seems like things in the Arab world are going so well; 65% of Saudi youth, 60% of Jordanian youth and 57% of Emirati youth feel their country is heading in the right direction. According to the Arab Youth Survey by ASDA’A, 52% of Arab youth are optimistic about the direction of their countries, while only 34% of Western youth feel their country is heading in the right direction.

The survey was conducted on 1,800 young people between the ages of 18-24 was carried out in six Middle East states (Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), and three Western nations (Germany, the UK and the US).

30% of Arab youth were concerned about the rising cost of living and overall economic outlook, compared to 43% of Western youth, that’s it? 30% only? Jordanian youth expressed the greatest level of fear for their financial security, with 42% highlighting this area, seriously, only 42%? Does this look right?

In Qatar 23% of the youth cited the rising cost of living and overall economic outlook as a central challenge. 68% of Middle East youth say that religion defines them as a person, compared to just 16% in the West. Personally I feel it’s a lame way to announce ASDA’A rebranding to ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller.

Anyway, here are the key findings of the First ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey:

(1) Western youth are generally pessimistic about the future, while Middle East youth are optimistic. Just 34% of Western youth feel that things in their country are heading in the right direction. In the Middle East, youth are considerably more optimistic, with 52% arguing that their country is heading in the right direction.

(2) Religion is enormously important to Middle East youth, especially when compared to their Western peers. Some 68% of Middle East youth say that religion defines them as a person, compared to just 16% in the West. Asked to name an influence on them and their outlook on life, 62% of Middle East youth listed religion, compared to just 38% of their Western peers.

(3) National identity and traditional values are extremely important to Arab youth, but not for their peers in the West. 9% of Arab youth say that the loss of traditional values and culture is the greatest challenge facing the world today, a sentiment a statistically insignificant percentage of their Western peers agree with. Likewise, Arab youth generally very strongly agree that their national identity is very important to them, while Western youth view the same as only moderately important.

(4) Arab youth generally admire political, religious and business leaders, while Western youth do not. Asked whom they look up to, 30% of Arab youth cited government leaders, compared to just 9% of their Western peers. Likewise, while just 5% of Western youth said they looked up to religious leaders, 31% Middle East youth claimed admiration for the same group. In the economic space, 29% of Arab youth look up to business leaders, a sentiment shared by only 5% of youth in the West.

(5) Family and friends are equally important to Middle East and Western youth. Precisely 64% of Arab and Western youth say that their family defines who they are as a person, with both groups citing family as one of the most important factors in this area. The two also agree that friends are among the key determinants in defining their identity, with concurrence from 57% of Western youth and 61% of their Arab peers.

(6) Arab youth want to make a difference, while Western youth mostly just want to get ahead. 11% of Arab youth say success means being enlightened spiritually and 34% say it is making the world a better place, compared to 5% and 12%, respectively, in the West.

(7) Arab and Western male youth have very different opinions about gender equality in the workplace. 79% of Western male youth believe that men and women should have equal opportunities in the workplace, while just 58% of their male counterparts in the Middle East agree. In striking contrast to the attitudes of their male peers, 73% of female Arab youth feel that they should have equal opportunities for professional advancement.

(8) Consumer and lifestyle habits of Arab and Western youth are strikingly similar. Young people in the West and Middle East indulge in similar activities, use similar technologies and have similar lifestyle habits. Both spend the majority of their disposable incomes on going out and shopping for clothes/shoes. Both groups constantly worry about their appearance.

(9) Global brands have transnational appeal among Middle East and Western youth. Despite some differences, young people view many brands with similar levels of warmth. The top brands for young people in the Middle East include Nokia, Sony, Toyota and Toshiba, all of which have similarly high favourability levels for the West.

(10) Europe is the top desired travel destination for both Arab and Western youth. 74% of Western youth and 49% of Arab youth would be interested in travelling to Europe in the future. Both groups would also be interested in travelling to North Africa, including 35% of Western youth and 21% of their Arab peers.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 10:43 am and is filed under Arabia, Interesting, Lists, Media, PR. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.