AMMAN — Most Arab youth say religion and their family or
tribe define their personal identity, and that preserving their religious and
cultural identity is more important to them than creating a more tolerant,
liberal, and globalised society.
اضافة اعلان
This is one of the key findings under the theme ‘My
Identity’ of the 15th
annual ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey.
Sunil John, President, MENA, BCW and Founder of
ASDA’A BCW,
said: “These findings reveal that Generation Z remain guided by faith, with
their affinity toward their religion stronger than ever and many being
concerned about what they see as the loss of traditional values and culture.
What is evident is that Arab youth increasingly view their personal identity
through the lens of religion, family and nationality.”
“The loss in importance given by Arab youth to the Arabic
language is inevitably a symptom of the pervasive spread of the internet and
social media. It is a cause for concern, most importantly, because of the
Arabic language’s potentially diminished role as a unifying force among Arab
nations.”
Survey results
When asked what defines their personal identity, ‘my
religion’ and ‘my family/tribe’ were each named by 27 percent of respondents
overall, followed by ‘my nationality’ (15 percent), ‘my language’ (11 percent),
‘my Arabic heritage’ (8 percent), ‘my gender’ (7 percent) and ‘my political
beliefs’ (4 percent).
Religion was named as most important to personal identity by
30 percent of the respondents in Levant, 27 percent in North Africa, and 25
percent in the GCC states, while family/tribe was deemed most important by 37
percent of youth in North Africa, 21 percent in Levant, and 20 percent in the
GCC.
A large majority, 76 percent of Arab youth said they are
concerned about the loss of traditional values and culture, the highest
percentage saying so in five years, while 65 percent said preserving their
religious and cultural identity is more important to them than creating a more
tolerant, liberal, and globalised society. This sentiment rises to nearly 74
percent in Levant, 72 percent in the GCC states and 68 percent in North Africa.
Interestingly, while 11 percent said language is most
important to their identity, 54 percent of the respondents said the Arabic
language is less important to them than it is to their parents. This trend is
seen across the three
regions surveyed, with 59 percent of GCC youth, 51
percent in North Africa and 52 percent in the Levant all saying it is less
important to them.
Reflecting the importance they place on their faith, 73
percent of youth disagreed that religious values are holding the Arab world
back, but 65 percent said religion plays too big a role in the Middle East.
Fewer Arab youth than in previous years feel the region needs to reform its
religious institutions – down to 58 percent this year from 77 percent last
year. Important to not, this year, the
face-to-face interviews with Arab youth were conducted from March 27 to April
12, coinciding with the Holy Month of Ramadan.
This sense of young Arabs embracing their religious identity
is further reinforced by the finding that nearly 62 percent say the laws of
their country should be based on Sharia standards and not civil or common law.
This sentiment is consistent across the three regions covered, with 68 percent
in GCC, 53 percent in North Africa, and 68 percent in Levant saying they prefer
Sharia laws to govern their nations.
ASDA’A BCW commissioned SixthFactor Consulting, a leading
research company, to conduct the 15th edition of the Arab Youth Survey through
face-to-face interviews with 3,600 Arab citizens aged 18 to 24 in their home
nations, the largest sample in the survey’s history.
The survey covered 53 cities across 18 Arab states,
including for the first time South Sudan. The interviews were conducted in
person rather than online to maximise accuracy and to reflect the nuances of
Arab youth opinion across the region as much as possible.
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