Young Arabs find much of the Arabic content available to them dated compared with its English-language equivalent, according to new research examining how the language is used across the region.
The Congress ACI Arab Youth Pulse Survey 2025 found that 71 per cent of respondents prefer media in Arabic, while 67 per cent believe Arabic content feels outdated.
Selected findings were discussed during the fifth Congress of Arabic and Creative Industries, held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, where there were discussions on topics including publishing, artificial intelligence, film, music and intellectual property.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos and the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, questioned 4,092 people aged between 18 and 25 across Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE.
The survey also found that Arabic remains central to the personal lives of young people, with 91 per cent using it at home and 85 per cent with friends. That figure falls to 64 per cent at school, university or work and 60 per cent when studying online. English use increases in those settings, with 77 per cent of respondents saying it is essential to achieving their goals.
Ali Bin Tamim, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said the findings should prompt institutions to examine whether young people see Arabic as part of their professional future.
“This may lead us to ask other questions. Do they believe Arabic helps them achieve their goals?” he told conference delegates. “Do they believe there is an absence of incentives in front of them that encourage them to engage with Arabic in getting a job and getting opportunities?”
The findings also suggest young people are not shunning Arabic. Seventy-seven per cent said they “feel proud” when they encounter the language in modern settings, while 76 per cent feel more confident expressing themselves in Arabic.
A further 76 per cent said using Arabic strengthens their connection to their roots. However, 74 per cent believe Arabic needs to evolve to fit the ways they learn, create and work.
“Opportunities are the foundation,” Bin Tamim said. “Creating opportunities is the foundation of a living, vibrant environment that renews the language and resembles young people.”
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, recalled learning formal Arabic through dubbed animation as a child.
“What taught me Arabic? What gave me Arabic was animation,” he said. “These cartoons, like Grendeizer, came from Japan, and we had some of the most beautiful translators from Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria and Egypt.
“They taught us classical Arabic and dialect different forms from Emirati to Lebanese and Syrian. We were amazed by this beauty and these beautiful stories that we received.”
The same approach needs to be applied to formats used by younger audiences today, he said. “The central idea has to be: how do we work as one system to create opportunities for the new generation across all areas of the Arabic language?”
The shortage of contemporary Arabic content is also connected to how creative work is financed, said Egyptian screenwriter and producer Mohamed Hefzy. Investors, he states, frequently demand evidence of previous commercial success before supporting a project, creating a barrier for emerging writers, directors and producers.
“Bridge financing, equity and tax credits and these things, these are components of a mature financing infrastructure, which still does not really exist in the Arab world,” he said. “The funds that finance films, there may only be one, two or three of them in the Arab world. The maturity of this financing market is still not there. The infrastructure is still not there for Arabic films.”
Hefzy said the industry also needs consistent incentives, more reliable audience data and companies capable of producing several projects each year, rather than individual producers moving from one production to another.
Noor Sweid, the founder and managing partner at Dubai's Global Ventures, also encouraged emerging companies to move away from traditional advertising and consider other ways of generating revenue.
“We do have to think about different revenue models. Like how to generate revenue other than the advertising revenue that we have been accustomed to for 30 or 40 years across the entire media industry,” she said.
One suggestion is for creators to begin with smaller projects with big potential.
“I also feel that when I look outside the region, especially with creators and language, people start with something simple,” she said. “They demonstrate that there is demand for that format, and then they bring in investment. Here, we often find it difficult for someone to start with something simple. Everything has to be perfect, complete, polished and arranged before they seek investors.”
While institutions must provide the support, Al Mubarak said the responsibility ultimately lies with Arab youth to determine what the next generation of Arabic content looks like.
“The ideas that will be put forward to create these opportunities will not come from us,” he said. “They will come from you, the young people and the new generation, because you know how to deliver this beautiful language to the new generation.”
