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Press Release
Arab Post-Millennials eager to tackle climate change and
environmental challenges, global Masdar survey finds
18-25-year-olds across Middle East & North Africa call on governments and private sector
to ramp up investment in renewable energy and clean technologies
Marrakech, Morocco, November 16, 2016 – Climate change and environmental degradation
are among the most important challenges facing Earth in the next decade, according to young
people in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA).
Global research conducted by Masdar – Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company – found that
climate change ranked alongside terrorism, unemployment, the economy and education as
one of the top concerns for MENA youth.
Unveiled at COP22, the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Morocco,
the ‘Masdar Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey’ is the first global survey of the attitudes of
young people aged 18-25 – the demographic cohort known as ‘Generation Z’ – towards
climate change, sustainable development and renewable energy.
The landmark online survey spoke to nearly 5,000* Post-Millennials in 20 countries across five
world regions: MENA, sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia. Countries were also
classified according to their economic development as either developed, emerging or frontier.
Carried out earlier this year to coincide with Masdar’s 10-year anniversary, the survey offers
a valuable insight into the thinking of tomorrow’s decision makers on the critical issues of
energy and sustainability.
While a fifth (21%) of MENA respondents view climate change and the environment as one of
the most important global challenges today, compared with a third (32%) globally, more than
a quarter (26%) in the region overall, and 42% of Gen Z youth in Morocco, see them as critical
challenges in the next 10 years.
Climate change and environmental threats were also rated above living standards, crime and
law & order, and public health in terms of importance today.
Arab youth strongly agree that governments need to both ‘innovate and take risks’ (79%) to
conserve the environment, while three-quarters argue that government and business have
an equal responsibility to develop clean technologies and renewable energy. Meanwhile, 78%
believe that government should be spending more to make renewables ‘more effective’ and
‘more accessible’.
Across MENA, 79% of young people either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘somewhat agree’ that
‘governments need to listen more to young people on sustainability issues’. And nearly a third
(29%) said they have boycotted a company because it did not act sustainably.
“The UAE believes youth engagement is critical in our path to a sustainable future,” said His
Excellency Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
“The findings from Masdar’s Gen Z Sustainability Survey reflect the UAE’s leadership in
advancing and creating awareness of renewable energy and sustainable development
worldwide.”
“We cannot deliver on sustainable development without empowering our young people,”
said Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrui, UAE’s Minister of State for Youth
Affairs and Chairwoman of the Emirates Youth Council. “The Masdar Gen Z Global
Sustainability Survey shows that our youth seek to lead change in sustainable development
and the future energy economy. Government and the business community both have a
golden opportunity to harness youth’s ideas, vigour and optimism.”
Her Excellency further emphasised the importance of youth research for future policy
creation and decision-making.
The Masdar Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey interviewed 400 respondents in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, and 300 across Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.
The study reveals that while MENA youth are concerned about the environment, they are also
confident that collective action can help overcome future sustainability challenges.
MENA respondents agree with their global peers that Post-Millennials and the demographic
cohort known as ‘Generation Y’ (youth aged 26-35) have the most responsibility to find
workable solutions to future sustainability challenges.
MENA youth also believe they are setting a positive example when it comes to
environmentally responsible behaviour, with nearly two-thirds (59%) saying they are doing
‘more or much more’ than other people they know to be ‘environmentally active’. And UAE
citizens are the most environmentally responsible of any youth surveyed, with 68% saying
they are doing more than others on the environment, compared to the global average of 46%.
The study found that Post-Millennials in MENA trusted institutions (large businesses, national
government and religious leaders) to act sustainably more than their peer group in other
regions (59% versus the global average of 48%). Those questioned in the UAE had the most
faith in their national government, with 72% saying they trusted their government ‘a lot’ to
act sustainably, behind only China (86%) and India (82%) in the global study.
Around two-in-three youth in MENA would like to pursue a career in sustainability, consistent
with the global average, but that figure rises to 75% in the UAE, a ringing endorsement of the
country’s investment in the renewable energy and clean technology industries.
Overall, the Masdar Gen Z survey found that young people value the environment over
financial gain, and believe public pressure and good education will further boost the adoption
of clean technology.
“Despite perhaps the more immediate regional challenges of unemployment and in some
cases conflict, these findings remove all doubt that young people across the Middle East &
North Africa want to live in a greener, cleaner and more sustainable world,” said Patricia
Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).”
Commenting on the global Gen Z survey, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer
of Masdar, said: “We are pleased to see the high level of understanding of young people from
right across the world of the importance of delivering a more sustainable future. Over the last
10 years, the clean energy industry is now one of the world’s most exciting and dynamic
growth markets. As we look ahead, the findings of our global survey provide an important
insight into the action required to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and clean
technologies. Today’s youth are the policymakers, industry leaders, technical experts and
consumers of tomorrow – an audience with whom we and the wider energy and sustainability
community must engage to realise a more sustainable future.”
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MASDAR GEN Z SUSTAINABILITY SURVEY: TOP 10 FINDINGS FOR MENA
1. Growing awareness of climate risks
MENA youth think that the threat of terrorism is the world’s biggest challenge today, followed
by the quality of education, unemployment and the economy. But awareness of the threat of
climate change and environmental risks is growing. A fifth (21%) see climate change and the
environment as one of the world’s most important challenges now, but a quarter (26%) see
the issue as a major challenge in the next decade.
2. Moroccan youth most concerned about the environment looking towards the next
decade
MENA youth attach less importance to climate change and the environment than their global
peers overall. Post-Millennials in Morocco, however, say that climate change and the
environment represent their country’s biggest challenge over the next decade (42%
compared to the regional average of 26%).
3. MENA youth believe they should take the lead in creating a greener world
Young people in MENA believe that their generation and the generation above them have the
greatest responsibility to find a solution to sustainability issues. There was also a broad
consensus that governments need to listen more to young people on sustainability.
4. Young people want a career in green energy and environmental protection
Many MENA youth are so committed to the environment that they want to use their career
to help support it, Masdar’s survey found. When asked about future careers in sustainability,
the most interest was shown in the UAE at around three in four, which is higher than the
global average. In Egypt and Saudi Arabia, over one in two young people said that they were
interested.
5. Governments need to spend more on renewable energy
MENA youth agree that government needs to be more innovative about environmental
protection and spend more on renewable energy and environmental projects. In Egypt,
almost nine in ten young people want business and government to both work more closely,
and share equal responsibility for developing clean technology and renewables. In the UAE,
around three in four young people believe both business and government share equal
responsibility for expanding renewable energy and environmental projects.
6. MENA young people say they’re greener than young people in other regions
MENA youth think that they do more to protect the environment than other youth worldwide.
In the UAE, almost seven in ten youth believe they do more than their peers – the highest
score out of any country.
7. Young people boycott companies that harm the environment
Young people use their spending power to reward or punish companies based on their
perceived impact on their environment. Saudi Arabia and Jordan have the highest number of
young people who actively look to boycott brands because of their environmental behaviour.
8. MENA young people trust large businesses, government and religious leaders to act
more sustainably
MENA youth have more trust in institutions to act more sustainably than youth in other
regions. Schools and educational institutions are trusted more in Jordan and the UAE than
they are globally. Overall, young people in MENA have more trust in their government to act
sustainably than the global average (61% versus 48%), while UAE youth have particularly high
levels of trust in government (72%), according to the study.
9. MENA countries are getting more sustainable
All MENA countries apart from Egypt believe that they have become more active when it
comes to sustainability. Fifty-six per cent of respondents agree that their country has been
getting ‘much more’ or ‘somewhat more green’ over the past ‘year or so’, compared with the
global average of 49%. However, less than a third (27%) of young Egyptians felt the same.
10. Solar is the favoured energy source
Solar is the preferred source of renewable energy for MENA youth. Wind is the second
preference, although the rate is significantly lower than what is seen globally.
Many youth in MENA have a higher level of trust in using a mix of energy sources for their
country. Unsurprisingly, oil has particularly high support in Saudi Arabia.
-EndsSurvey Methodology*
The ‘Masdar Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey’ was done by international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland
(PSB). It analysed what members of the post-millennial cohort (those aged between 18 and 25) worldwide
think about the environment, climate change, sustainability and renewable energy.
PSB conducted 4,704 online interviews between March 4 and March 29, 2016 in 20 countries: three in the
Americas (US, Mexico and Brazil), four in Europe (UK, France, Germany and Spain), three in sub-Saharan Africa
(Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa), five in the Middle East & North Africa (Morocco, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia
and Jordan), and five in Eurasia (Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan).
The findings were also analysed according to the economic development of the participating countries, with
countries classified as either ‘Developed’ (Germany, France, Spain, UK, US and Japan), ‘Emerging’ (Brazil,
China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, South Africa, UAE, Morocco) or ‘Frontier’
(Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria).
Youth respondents were interviewed about subjects including climate change; awareness of and responsibility
for environmental issues; their own personal actions on the environment; renewable energy; education and
sustainability; and the development of clean technology including wind and solar power.
PSB conducted between 100 and 300 interviews per country depending on the level of internet penetration.
The survey’s margin of error is +/-1.43% for the total sample, with sub-groups having a larger margin of error.
For more information and the full survey results, visit www.masdar.ae/GenZSurvey.
About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company which works to advance the development, commercialisation
and deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil
fuel economy and the energy economy of the future. Wholly owned by the Mubadala Development Company
PJSC, the strategic investment company of the Government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the United
Arab Emirates’ long-term vision for the future of energy and water.
Contacts:
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel enquiries in Arabic: +971 2 653 3333
Tel enquiries in English: +971 2 653 6014
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