Young people do not often hold the reins of power, but their attitudes and happiness matter hugely to ensuring the stability and future of any society.
Nowhere is this more true than in the Arab world, for a significant reason. It is one of the youngest regions in the world.
It is also one of the most complex. For years, trying to understand their views, hopes and concerns has been the difficult task of the Arab Youth Survey. On Wednesday its latest instalment was released, the result of interviews with 3,400 Arabs in 17 Mena countries.
A stand-out finding this year is that a majority believe democracy would never work in the region. In the beleaguered Levant, this opinion stood at a massive 72 per cent.
Just over a decade ago several countries in the region were gripped by uprisings. As troubles mounted in the immediate years after, many in society shifted towards a belief that stability and effective government were key for progress. Today, the shift is yet more striking; that the region has its most sceptical group of young people more than a decade later is a sign of how instability is shaping opinions.
The picture is far from straightforward, however. Other polls suggest that in some places forms of democratic governance remain sought-after.
Nonetheless, there seems to be a general diminishing appeal of idealism in favour of pragmatism. Eighty-two per cent said pushing for national stability was more important than promoting democracy. In 2009, the survey found the opposite: 92 per cent of respondents said their greatest priority was to live in a democratic country.
Key worries about the future relate to the economy. A third say rising cost of living and unemployment are the biggest obstacles in the region. With a strong economy in a region where few are found, it is not a surprise that the UAE is still the top country young Arabs want to make their home. Responding to the finding, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted: "The economy comes above everything else."
All this talk of immediate living conditions is not to say that deeper, longer-term themes are unimportant. Israel's occupation of Palestine is a primary concern of 29 per cent of young Arabs. Interestingly, worries about holding on to one's culture in a globalised world also rank highly. Almost two-thirds said preserving religious and cultural identity is more important than creating a more globalised society.
As ever, the Arab Youth Survey is a mixed bag. This year's in particular dispels the notion that young people are a monolithic entity and provides an important, to some surprising insight on what they ask of their governments. British historian Paul Addison's famous observation that "If you’re not a liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative by the time you’re 35, you have no brain" does not stack up in 2022 in the Middle East. A connected, increasingly globalised group of young people is refusing to belong to one ideological bloc, preferring to think for themselves.
Finally, though many Arabs still face challenges and will do so for some time, most, 64 per cent to be precise, remain optimistic that their best days lie ahead. A welcome conclusion to a mixed survey.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Gothia Cup 2025
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
UAE finals day
Friday, April 13
Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Brief scores:
Everton 2
Walcott 21', Sigurdsson 51'
Tottenham 6
Son 27', 61', Alli 35', Kane 42', 74', Eriksen 48'
Man of the Match: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan
