Optimism among Arabs highest in five years

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Of the 3,400 18 to 24-year-old Arabs who participated at the June 6 to 30, 2021 face-to-face interviews for the Arab Youth Survey, 56 per cent or 1,904 had tagged climate change as a serious concern.

Asdaa BCW founder Sunil John told Gulf Today: “Climate change was one of the themes explored (for the 2021 survey) given its importance to the society today, and with governments across the region looking at energy transition (alternative sources of energy). We want to deliver valuable insights on what defines the region from the perspective of the youth, with tracking data to show what is changing on the ground. We want to give governments, the private sector and the civil society valuable information to support policy-making and strategy development.”

As they are enthusiastic with regard to saving Mother Earth, the Arab youth are hopeful as well in connection with their “outlook in life”-- even if due to the pandemic and its harsh consequences, backed up by data and assessment of international bodies such as the World Bank, 192 million of the inhabitants are “expected to be in extreme poverty by end-2021.”

“When asked whether they believed their best days were either ahead of them or behind them, an astonishing 60 per cent (or 2,040) of all respondents expressed optimism in the future, undoubtedly the top finding of the survey…in fact according to the survey, optimism among the Arab youth is at its highest point in five years…(this revealed) a counter-intuitive finding of hope for the future.”

The most optimistic of the Arab youth are in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (GCC) with 84 per cent or 840 of the 1,000 saying their best days lay ahead of them. Next are the youth in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia (North Africa) with 63 per cent or 756 of the 1,200 and just over 36 per cent or 432 of the 1,200 in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen (Levant and Others). Overall, 48 per cent or 1,632 believe they will have a better life than their parents. Moreover, 62 per cent or 620 of the 1,000 in the GCC, 48 per cent or 576 of the 1,200 in North Africa and 49 per cent or 588 in the Levant, Yemen and Iraq are positive over the economic rebound in their countries and in the entire region in 2022.