What Matters Most for UAE People

How is the United Arab Emirates different from other GCC countries? Or the rest of the world? In many ways, you would say, but apart from economics, politics and geographical location, we are more or less the same. Or are we? It turns out people in some countries value health the most, while for other nations income is the most important. A study of people’s priorities shows surprising answers for the UAE.

Dubai and the UAE are well-known for the love for luxury and glamour and ultra-modern lifestyle. And while some may say people here are obsessed with money, shopping and material possessions, it’s not exactly so. Moving company Movehub has revealed people’s opinions in various countries around the world on what matters the most in life. Data comes from the massive OECD Better Life Index, which collects opinions since 2011 and now has more than 60,000 responses from over 180 countries. Interestingly, residents of the UAE (both locals and expats) don’t value income the most, as it’s often believed. From the total of 10 options, people in the UAE choose safety as their biggest priority. The rest of the answers are housing, jobs, income, work-life balance, life satisfaction, health, education, community, and environment.

In fact, the UAE is the only country in the GCC where safety is the most important thing. For Oman, this is health, while people in Qatar value jobs more than anything else. And income is the top priority for all Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan. Opinions across the Middle East differ significantly. For example, those living in Iran and Afghanistan say life satisfaction is the most important, while education is most valued in Egypt and Syria. But why are there such differences within such a small region (compared to others such as Europe or South America)?

Some experts claim that traditionally, countries with lower disposable income see education as means of succeeding in life. For instance, education is indeed a top priority for almost all of South America and Mexico, as it is for Chad, Sudan, Pakistan, and Indonesia, as well. And in the case with safety, other nations apart from the UAE to choose it as their most important thing in life, are Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Guinea, Congo, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, and Japan. But the reasons for these opinions are obviously quite different for the different countries – while Venezuela is indeed one of the most dangerous places on Earth, it’s not the case with Japan, or the UAE. We can only speculate, but probably people in both countries are quite satisfied from their living as a whole – good incomes, available housing, a variety of jobs, and access to health and education.

Looking at a global level, we can spot a powerful tendency – most developed nations, including Western and Central Europe, Nordic countries, the USA, and Canada, value health and life satisfaction the most. Interestingly, Australia is one of the few developed nations, choosing work-life balance as their top priority. And very few countries stand out with their priority for environment – Papua New Guinea, Slovenia, and Georgia.