MENA teens 'close to families'

YOUNGSTERS in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have not abandoned their heritage despite desiring Western brands and lifestyles, a new survey reveals, writes Adam Gonn.

It was conducted by face-to-face interviews with 2,000 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19 from different social backgrounds in the Gulf region and Egypt.

"On the one hand, MENA teens are much more closely tied to their families, culture and religion as compared to their global counterparts," said Gagan Bhalla, general manager of AMRB, a Middle Eastern market research firm. "But on the other hand, they are very similar to global teens in terms of brand exposure, technological awareness and future aspirations."

The areas covered by the survey ranged from daily life and consumption, interest in sports and celebrities to political opinions and values. "MENA teens are not anti-West --- most of their favourite brands are Western brands and they do believe that the US is the most influential country in the world today," said the report.

Ram Dhara, research director at AMRB, told The Media Line, a non-profit American news agency specialising in coverage of the Middle East, that the purpose of the survey was 'to understand teens from a holistic perspective - starting from their daily lives, teens as consumers, their associations with and perceptions about brands, their lifestyle, views and opinions about a variety of topics'.

"Middle East and North African teens are seen to be more closely tied to their families, culture and religion as compared to their global counterparts," Mr Dhara said. "But they are very similar to global teens in terms of consumerism, i.e. brand exposure, technological awareness and future aspirations." The report notes that young people in the United Arab Emirates, for example, tend to spend $71 on clothes every month, which is three times higher than the global average of $21.

According to the survey one reason for the popularity of blogs and web forums in the region is the restrictions put on these teens. "Lives of Middle East and North African teens are much more restricted and regulated than their counterparts in other parts of the world. Exposure and expression for girls is quite limited and the meteoric rise in popularity of talk shows and blogging indicates a need for greater self expression," said the report.

Esra'a Al Shafei, director of MidEast Youth, a Bahrain-based human rights and youth dialogue group, said that the political engagement of teens depends on where they live. "A Lebanese and Egyptian teenager is way more likely to have strong political opinions than those in the Gulf," Al Shafei said. "Many youth are interested in politics, but not many would consider themselves activists or are interested in getting heavily involved," she said. "In the Gulf, there are many young political activists, but they are certainly unique and within a small minority."

While analysts said some Western influences have a positive impact on local youth, not all are welcome.

"Our youth are always attracted to experiencing new things and alcohol, like smoking, is one of those things," said Dr Mohammed Aboelenein, Department of Sociology chief at the United Arab Emirates University. "I lived in the US and saw how drinking alcohol among the youth represents a big problem there," he said. "I don't wish to see this situation repeating itself here."