Arab News reports on a survey conducted by ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller on attitudes held by Saudi youth. On the whole, they’re very optimistic about the future and feel themselves engaged in the world. They also feel that they’re as entitled to the freedoms enjoyed by their counterparts in the West.

Credit card woes hit youths
HAHEEN NAZAR | ARAB NEWS

Young Arabs modern in outlook, seek same privileges as in the West: Survey

JEDDAH: Misuse of credit cards by young people is a major problem in Saudi Arabia. According to a new survey, some 52 percent of Saudi youths struggle with debt because of this. The survey also says that 46 percent of Saudi youths favor working in the private sector rather than the government sector.

The Second Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, released this week, contains other interesting revelations. It negates common Western misperceptions of Arab youths as conservative and inward-looking and says that young Arab men and women see themselves as fully engaged global citizens and aspire to the same privileges and freedoms as those taken for granted in the West.

Generally, youths in the Middle East are confident about the direction in which the region is heading. Democracy is an important aspiration for them. Good infrastructure, access to the best universities, being paid a fair wage and living in a safe neighborhood were found to be equally important priorities, said the survey.
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The headline of the piece ‘buries the lede’, as they say. Young Saudis are reported to have trouble dealing with credit cards and their finances in general. That’s not surprising, nor is it unique to Saudi Arabia. But that is only a small part of the survey and among the least important factors.