The United Arab Emirates is the most desirable country for young Arab to live in

 

The Arab Youth Survey 2020 ranked the United Arab Emirates as the most desirable country in the world for young Arab to live in for a ninth year. According to the survey, the UAE is considered the safest country in the region and in the world, and the promise of higher salaries is among the main reasons for the country’s continuing popularity.

The survey, which collected the views of 4,000 young men and women across 17 Arab countries, confirmed the data of a recent report published by global database Numbeo, which ranked the UAE as one of the safest countries in the world. In fact, UAE secured a safety index score of 84.55 points and a crime index score of 15.45 in 2020. The interviewed were all between the ages of 18 and 24, across 17 states.

Almost half of those who took part in the survey, 46 per cent, expressed their dream to live or is planning to go in the UAE looking for better living conditions. The previous year 44 percent opted for the UAE, an increase of nine per cent from 2019. To the question regarding the top five nations were to live, most of Arab youth said to dream living in the UAE, 33 percent in the United States, 27 percent in UK and Canada, while Germany collected 22 percent of preferences. Abu Dhabi was also named as the model to emulate for their country of origin by 52 per cent of those who took part in the survey, compared to 42 per cent of previous year.

The US ranked second with 30 percent, followed by Germany with 23 percent, Canada 21 per cent, and Japan with 20 per cent of preferences. According to Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington DC, there is a perception about the overall quality of life in the UAE that is putting it on a par with, and indeed ahead of, the most prominent western states as a domicile of choice and model for national emulation for so many young Arabs. The modern Gulf country is perceived as a safe and stable environment in a frequently unsafe and unstable region.

What attracts young people are not only the earning opportunities, but also the efficiency of the state, the recognition of forward-looking leadership, and the ability of the authorities to manage any emergency such as occurred during the covid-19 pandemic. That explains why the UAE is considered a model by citizens of Arab countries, which struggle to provide stability, security and job opportunities. Also, there is the cultural factor. The Emirates are perceived as the right balanced relationship between tradition and modernity, tolerance and religion.

Twenty-five percent of the interviewed affirmed that the UAE is a good place to raise a family, having a high-quality education system (23 per cent); respect for cultural traditions (20 per cent); and the nation’s strong cultural heritage (17 per cent). It must be said that the World Happiness Report also named the UAE as the happiest region in the world for the sixth consecutive year, confirming that the Emirates is the right place where to be.