UAE most preferred nation for Arab youth

Selecting from a list of 20 countries, one in five (20 per cent) say they would like to live in the UAE.

Dubai – For the fourth consecutive year, UAE has been named as the country in which most Arab youth would like to live as well as the country they would most like their own nation to emulate, according to the findings of the 7th Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, released today.

Selecting from a list of 20 countries, one in five (20 per cent) say they would like to live in the UAE. For the second year running, the United States is the second most popular (13 per cent) followed by Canada and Germany, both at 10 per cent. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and France are ranked joint fifth at 8 per cent each.

Likewise, when asked to think about which country they would most like their home country to emulate, almost a quarter (22 per cent) consider the UAE as a model nation, followed by the United States (15 per cent) and Germany (11 per cent).

Canada and France also feature in the top five at eight per cent, respectively, making the UAE the only Arab country in the top five choices identified by Arab youth.

The survey, conducted by international polling firm PSB, sampled 3,500 Arab nationals ages 18-24 in 16 countries in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain; Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Yemen.

The interviews were conducted from January 20th to February 12th, 2015.

Commenting on the findings, Sunil John, CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, said, “Across the region, the UAE is seen as a place where young Arabs are encouraged to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.

The UAE is a lighthouse and a beacon of hope for the region’s youth who have been living through a period of political turmoil in some parts of the region.”

The popularity of the UAE is a reflection of the country’s strong economic outlook and status as a safe haven amid regional turmoil. The UAE economy, which is the second-largest in the Arab world with a GDP of over $402 billion, is expected to grow 3.5 per cent throughout 2015 and 2016 in spite of falling oil prices, according to the International Monetary Fund.

In-depth results from the 7th Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, including survey highlights and a white paper in Arabic and English, are available on arabyouthsurvey.com.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com 

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