According to a recent study by Burson-Marsteller, as many as three quarters of all Arab youth feel their countries are headed in the right direction. Overall, the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey reveals mostly positive sentiment where policy and other key societal determinants are concerned.
This survey was conducted by Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) in 3,000 face to face interviews with Arab national men and women aged 18-24 in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain), Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco, Algeria and Yemen.
Of particular interests is the suggestion that since the Arab Spring Began youth in these countries have make less use of social media and other online channels. A correlating upswing in TV for this same focus group along with newspaper readership and online news absorption provide additional insight. Accordingly, young people seem to follow social media and current news less – from 52% in 2012 to 46% this year. Television is the primary source of news for 72% of regional youth while 59% of all Arab youth rely on online news sources. Newspaper readership among Arab youth fell to 24% this year.
Here are some more of the survey results:
- 87% feel “more proud to be an Arab” following the uprisings, and 59% believe recent changes in their country will have a positive impact on them and their family.
- Two-thirds (67%) feel “better off” following the events of the Arab Spring and 45% believe their national government has become more transparent.
- The United Arab Emirates is the country 31% of young Arabs would most like to live in, followed by France (18%), the United States and Turkey (16%).
- France is the country regarded most favorably by Arab youth, followed by Germany and China.
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller is one of the largest PR firms in the world, and a major influence in the Middle East region.