Are The Arab Youth Optimistic? How Do Arab Youth Think? How Do They View The Future?
04 April 2013
By Osman Mirghani
These two questions have always preoccupied many,
especially after the Arab Spring. Not only were the
Arab youth at the forefront of these movements, but
their problems and preoccupations were one of the main
reasons behind its eruption in the first place. Even
if the Arab Spring had never happened, such questions
should be one of the major concerns in any region
where those under the age of 30 comprise more than two
thirds of the entire population, and where the
unemployment rate among youth is over 25%, even
exceeding 30% in some countries.
The main impression is that because the Arab youth are
both frustrated with and enraged by the present and in
despair over their future, they fall prey to extremism
or drugs, waste their time browsing the Internet, or
seek refuge in rebellion and revolution. Therefore,
the result of one of the most recent opinion polls may
come as a shock. Contrary to the gloomy scenario we
see on the news, this opinion poll paints a colorful
and more optimistic picture of the situation in the
Arab world. In ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller's Arab Youth
Survey, published last week, 75% of Arab youth said
they felt optimistic and believed that better days lie
ahead. Moreover, 59% said they thought that the recent
changes in their countries would bring positive
results for them and their families. Surprisingly, the
survey's findings demonstrated convergence in the
opinions between youth in the Arab Gulf and those
residing elsewhere in the Arab world, the latter of
whom are facing great economic challenges. When asked
if they believe that better days lie ahead, 76% of
Gulf youth answered ‘yes', as did 72% of those from
other Arab states.
Although young people in the Gulf might share problems
similar to those in other Arab countries, this high
rate of optimism in the Gulf is to be expected, given
the fact that the economic situation is better there.
Outside the Gulf States—especially in the Arab Spring
countries—not only are the challenges greater, there
are also fewer opportunities. That is why these
optimistic results are so surprising, given the amount
of disappointment and pessimism that accompanied the
revolutions. The Arab Spring, despite all its
difficulties and problems, raised the morale of the
Arab youth. For instance, 87% of those who took part
in the survey said that they felt proud to be Arabs
that were part of the Arab Spring. This feeling is
perhaps based on the fact that Arab youth were the
ones who really ignited the spark of the Arab Spring.
At the same time, this has changed the stereotype that
the Arab youth are something of a lost generation,
which had been prevalent before the recent
revolutions.
As for those who constantly attack Arab youth,
accusing them of being alienated and forgetful of the
traditional values and the inherited principles of
their countries of origin, the survey results indicate
that the majority of Arab youth still believe in the
importance of embracing traditional values,
accompanied by a desire to adopt a modern outlook of
life. In an age where both borders and censorship, in
their old forms, have faded and left the doors open to
the influx and free exchange of information—thanks to
the Internet, satellite channels, smart phones and
social networking—the real challenge is to find a
common ground between the traditional and the modern,
finding a way to keep these new generations in touch
with their heritage without isolating them from new
international developments. With the advent of the
"global village" that came about through the
telecommunications revolution, calls for isolating the
Arab countries from the rest of the world will only
increase problems. Thus, in order to increase the Arab
youth's sense of national identity, they should be
armed with knowledge and openness. On top of that, by
strengthening their self-confidence, Arab youth will
be able to compete and differentiate between what is
harmful and what is useful. Giving Arab youth both
hope and aspiration is the solution, because feelings
of despair and idleness are the greatest threats to
their intellects and aspirations.
Unemployment, especially among youth, is the greatest
difficulty since it prevents them from being creative,
and consequently useful for themselves and their
societies. Many studies and reports consider
unemployment as a "time bomb," warning that failing to
defuse this will have dire economic, social and
political consequences.
The crisis of unemployment does not only concern the
Arab world; politicians from countries all over the
world—from America to Europe, and from Africa to
Asia—have lost sleep over this issue. It is no wonder
that the issue of unemployment is on the agenda at
almost all economics conferences. Almost 40% of the
total number of unemployed, estimated at 200 million
across the world, are youth. At the same time, the
number of university graduates whose qualifications do
not meet the needs of the job market is increasing
every year. This problem is most felt in the Arab
world, where the academic curriculum does not match
the needs of the job market. As a result, thousands of
graduates every year join the long line of those who
are desperately looking for a job. While it is true
that there is no "magic cure" for unemployment, we do,
however, badly need to reconsider the academic
curriculum so that they meet the needs of development
and technological advancements. This is not to mention
the importance of providing the youth with the
training they need to get jobs. The greatest challenge
lying ahead will not be met just by governments
increasing their efforts and undertakings, but also by
the private sector providing more youth with more
training and employment opportunities.
It is no wonder that getting a job with a fair wage
remains the highest priority for those who took part
in this survey. This makes the issue of employment
among the greatest challenges lying ahead for
governments. Unless governments take fundamental
measures to fight unemployment, the optimism
demonstrated in this opinion poll will be replaced
with despair, disappointment and loss. Consequently,
this will most definitely increase the levels of risk
and difficulty that these countries face. What is
needed is not merely to create more job opportunities,
but to build an environment that provides the youth
with a better quality of life and greater contribution
in the affairs of their present and future.
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EsinIslam.Com
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