Dubai: The Arab youth in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) are optimistic about the future despite the turmoil the region is going through, the 2012 Arab Youth Survey revealed.
As many as 72 per cent of the respondents believe that the Arab world is better off following the uprisings, also called the Arab Spring, and that the future holds great promise.
Though around 41 per cent thought civil unrest and lack of democracy is hampering their progress 62 per cent also believed their countries are heading in the right direction.
The majority (72 per cent) also believed governments have become trustworthy and transparent following the Arab Spring.
"The one thing that is shining through the survey is the fact that the youth have got a new belief following the Arab Spring. The survey shows that they seriously believe the change is for the better and it is here to stay. It also shows that not only socially and politically even at the personal levels they feel better off now and believe that more good is in store," said Sunil John, Chief Executive Officer of Asda'a Burso-Marsteller, as he presented the survey.
Among the major findings of the survey titled ‘After the Spring' are that the post-Arab Spring youth are more concerned about personal well-being rather than freedom and democracy which was a top priority earlier.
Experts believe it reflects the changed circumstances in the region as the survey was conducted between December 2011 and January 2012, much after the revolution took effect in three of the 12 countries surveyed.
Concerns
"The survey shows that young people are now focusing more on economic issues, this is an after-effect of the Arab Spring. Things are already in motion and people are hoping that it will continue to move in the right direction and believe that governments will continue to take the necessary steps to help people feel better," said Nader S. Kabbani, one of the panellists at the launch of the survey, as he highlighted the major findings of the survey.
According to the survey, youth today give more importance to ‘fair pay' (82 per cent) and ‘housing' (65 per cent) as against democracy (58 per cent); however, the rising cost of living (63 per cent) is their biggest concern.
The survey also finds that 54 per cent of the youth feel corruption in government and public life is among the biggest challenges.
Another key finding of the survey is that the US has fallen out of favour with the youth as only 31 per cent favoured it this year as against 41 per cent last year, while the popularity of France is rising, with 46 per cent favouring the country.
The Arab Youth Survey is an annual exercise conducted by Asda'a Burson-Marsteller covering most of the Middle East and North African countries.
As many as 81 per cent of the 250 respondents from the UAE felt optimistic about what the future holds for the country, which is the highest among all the countries surveyed this year.
