Turkey, China dominate Arab youth view of allies

AMMAN — The majority of Arab youth view both Turkey and China as “a strong ally or somewhat of an ally” of their respective nations, according to the 2023 ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey.

The survey, titled “Living a New Reality”, revealed that new alliances are emerging in the Arab world. 

The survey was conducted from March 27 to April 12, 2023. Its findings are based on face-to-face interviews with 3,600 youth across 53 cities in 18 Arab states, including Jordan. 

It showed that 82 per cent of respondents named Turkey “a strong ally or somewhat of an ally”, followed by China at 80 per cent, the UK at 79 per cent, Germany at 78 per cent, France at 74 per cent and India at 73 per cent, while the US was ranked seventh at 72 per cent. 

“The perception of Russia, the third-highest ranking ally in last year’s study, appears to have been hit by the devastating war in Ukraine,” the survey’s report stated. 

It showed that Russia ranked ninth below Pakistan, with less than two-thirds, 63 per cent, of Arab youth describing it as a strong ally or somewhat of an ally. 

The report also pointed out that old enmities in the Arab world remain. It showed that most Arab youth oppose the normalisation of ties with Israel. Ninety-four per cent of those in Jordan said that they somewhat or strongly oppose normalising diplomatic relations with Israel. 

However, 75 per cent, 73 per cent and 50 per cent of youth in the UAE, Egypt and Morocco, respectively, are supportive of normalisation. 

Attitudes towards Arab nations

The survey observed a “feeling of camaraderie”, characterising Arab youth’s attitudes towards other Arab countries. 

Among Arab nations, over nine in 10 Arab youth say Qatar is a “strong ally or somewhat of an ally” of their country, followed by Kuwait at 91 per cent, Egypt at 89 per cent, the UAE at 88 per cent, and Saudi Arabia at 86 per cent, it showed. 

It also revealed that “Saudi Arabia is ranked the strongest ally overall, with 54 per cent saying it is a “strong ally”, followed by the UAE”. 

Moreover, 87 per cent of young Arabs said the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by Qatar “had galvanised the Arab world and enhanced Arab pride, while an equal percentage said events such as the FIFA World Cup and Expo 2020 Dubai have promoted greater understanding of the Arab world in general,” according to the survey. 

Urge to emigrate  

“Disillusioned with the state of the economy in their home country, many young Arabs, especially in North Africa and Levant, are actively considering emigration,” the report stated. 

It added that 53 per cent of Arab youth in the Levant and 48 per cent of Arab youth in North Africa say they want to emigrate. 

“A dearth of local jobs, economic instability and conflict are the three reasons they cite for considering emigration,” it noted. 

However, less than 27 per cent of Arab youth in the GCC said they were considering emigrating. This is likely due to “the success of GCC governments in promoting access for their citizens to the private sector”, according to the report. 

It also pointed out that this year’s preferred emigration destinations for Arab youth include Canada, followed by the US, Germany and the UK (tied), and France. Forty-nine per cent of Arab youth said the main reason for emigrating is finding a job, compared to 24 per cent who said it was citizenship.