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Young Arabs believe unemployment is a motivating factor for those who join Islamic State
Instability in the Middle East, unemployment and a lack of opportunities were listed as the biggest obstacles facing young Arabs today, according to the results of a new survey released on Tuesday.
The rise of Islamic State was a worry for 77 percent of respondents in the annual ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, which conducted 3,500 face-to-face interviews with nationals aged between 18 and 24 years in 16 Arab countries.
The survey found that security topped the list of major concerns for the Middle East's next generation, with tacit support for Islamic State (known widely in the region as Daesh) declining with only 13 percent of respondents agreeing they could see themselves supporting the militant group even if it did not resort to violence, compared with 19 percent in 2015.
Unemployment was ranked as the third biggest challenge for Arab youth.
While a quarter of those surveyed said they do not understand why young people would want to join Islamic State, they highlighted the jobless issue and a lack of opportunities in their home countries as factors driving some to youth join the militant group.
The survey, conducted by international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland, covered the six Gulf Cooperation Council states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen. The survey did not include Syria due to the civil unrest in the country.
Young Arabs living in countries hit by political turmoil, unrest and war, such as Yemen, Libya and Palestine, were found to be the most pessimistic about opportunities. Overall, 37 percent of those surveyed said they did not see good job opportunities for them in the areas they lived, while 44 percent were more upbeat about their employment opportunities.
These factors came into play when participants were asked which country in the world they would most like their country to be like, with the United Arab Emirates topping the global list, followed by the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
The UAE was viewed as a model country in the region for the fifth consecutive year, with respondents citing its safety, security, a growing economy and the range of job opportunities as its most attractive attributes.
The UAE was also ranked as the country where young entrepreneurs would most like to set up a new business, with 24 percent of those surveyed citing it as the top business destination in the Arab world.
"The UAE's popularity among youth is likely a reflection of its status as a model country and regional political and economic safe haven," Sunil John, CEO of public relations firm ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, said in a press statement.
"The nation has developed a global reputation for its robust and diversified economy, which encourages a "can do" attitude among its residents and is respectful of religious and cultural diversity."
There were 200 respondents for each country represented in the survey, except for the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt with 300 respondents each, and Iraq with 250 and Palestine with 150.
(Writing by Shane McGinley)
© Zawya 2016
