Youth in Arab states less confident that the Arab Spring will lead to positive changes

The Arab Spring is loosing its political appeal to the youth of Arab states. In 2013, 74% of youth thought they would be better off due to the Arab Spring, but this dropped to 58% in 2014 (Philosophy Age, Issue 05, May-July 2014).

The Arab Youth Survey published in April 2014, in which researchers surveyed 3,500 youth aged 18-24 years in 16 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries found a decline in youth’s confidence in the Arab Spring to make a difference in their lives. And the number of youth citing civil unrest as the biggest obstacle facing the Middle East rose from 44% in 2012 to 55% in 2014. Their responses to the biggest obstacle in the region were: civil unrest (55%), lack of democracy (38%), threat of terrorism (30%), and lack of strong leadership (30%). Of the respondents this year, 54% of youth believed that the Arab Spring (the civil unrest that toppled leaders in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia) would lead to positive changes, which is a decline from 70% in 2013.

Instead of civil unrest, youth are turning to job seeking. But just 43% of youth in Arab states preferred government jobs in 2014, which is a decline from 64% in 2012. Instead, youth are seeking jobs in the private sector. Therefore 57% of youth in Arab states are looking for jobs in the private sector, or will start their own businesses instead of joining the government workforce.