Unemployment, terror biggest ME challenges
DUBAI — A large number of Arab youth believe that unemployment and terrorism are the region’s most significant challenges, according to new data from the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey.
The survey, which interviewed over 3,500 people in 16 countries, asked a wide range of questions — from concerns and aspirations to their views on the economy, Donald Trump, media and the Arabic language.
Researchers found that 51 per cent of Arab youth are “very concerned” about unemployment, with 35 per cent saying that unemployment is the biggest obstacle facing the Middle East.
Additionally, many respondents (35 per cent), believe that the rise of Daesh is the region’s most pressing challenge, along with the general threat of terrorism.
The report also found that more than one in three young Arabs (35 per cent) would choose to live in the UAE, ahead of the US (15 per cent), Saudi Arabia and Canada (14 per cent each), and Germany (13 per cent).
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com
The stark divide between the responses of youth in the GCC nations and those in the Levant and North Africa is clearly related to the huge differences in access to opportunity.”
Sunil John, founder and CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
DUBAI — Arab youth believe US President Donald Trump’s victory will have more of an impact on the Middle East region in the next five years than falling oil prices and Daesh’s loss of territory, the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey has revealed.
This was just one of the findings in the 9th edition of the survey that was unveiled on Wednesday. The team behind the survey conducted 3,500 face-to-face interviews in 16 countries in the Middle East.
The survey was themed ‘Middle East – a region divided’. Participants, aged 18 to 24, were interviewed about subjects ranging from the political to the personal. Topics explored included the concerns and aspirations of the Arab youth; their views on the economy and the impact of unemployment on their lives; and the election of Donald Trump as President of the US and its implications for the region.
The survey showed that 81 per cent young Arabs said their government could do more to address their problems and issues. However, 86 per cent of Gulf youth said their governments are putting policies in place that will benefit young people — a response shared by just a quarter (24 per cent) of young people in the Levant and Yemen.
“The stark divide between the responses of youth in the GCC nations and those in the Levant and North Africa is clearly related to the huge differences in access to opportunity,” said Sunil John, founder and CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, the PR firm behind the survey.
“In the nine years we have conducted this important research — the biggest study of its kind — we have always seen geographic differences, but never have they been so pronounced. Optimism should be the default attitude for youth, and the fact that so many young people, in so many nations, today said that their countries’ best days are behind them should be a real cause for concern for policy-makers across the region.”