UAE is the model nation for young Arabs

Nearly half of young Arabs chose the UAE as their favourite place to live, according to the 13th annual ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey

Arab youth have named the UAE as the country in the world they would most like to live in and the one they would most like their own nation to emulate – for the 10th straight year.

This is one of the main findings of the 13th annual ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey 2021, the largest study of its kind of the Arab world’s largest demographic, its youth.

The UAE has topped the list of most preferred countries every year since young Arab men and women across the Middle East & Africa (MENA) were first asked the question in 2012.

Nearly half of young Arabs (47 per cent) selected the UAE as their favourite place to live, more than double the number of votes the poll’s second-ranked country, the US received.

Almost the same proportion (46 per cent) said the UAE was the country they most wanted their own to be like, followed by the US (28 per cent), Canada and Germany (each chosen by 12 per cent of interviewees) and France (11 per cent).

“The finding is particularly gratifying as the UAE celebrates its half-centennial and looks forward to the next 50 years of its prosperity and success,” said Sunil John, President, MENA, BCW and Founder of ASDA’A BCW.

“The nation has chosen a resoundingly inclusive narrative where its young people are concerned, one where they are the hope of the nation as it looks towards the next 50 years of its success. By its actions, the UAE has chosen to tell a story firmly focused on the possibilities of tomorrow. As evidenced by our annual survey, this has captivated young people far beyond its borders.”