Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – Most of the residents – citizens and expatriates – in Saudi Arabia are satisfied with their life in general, according to a survey. The survey, “Happiness and Wellbeing in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa),” was conducted by Bayt.com, a job site and YouGov, an independent research and consulting organization. It collected data online from 11,170 respondents aged 21+, representing Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the UAE. About 64% of the survey population in Saudi Arabia said they were satisfied with their life in general, of whom 18% indicated they were “extremely satisfied.” The top reasons for satisfaction were availability of utilities (drinking water, electricity, and so on), stability of political environment, and general safety and security. In the Kingdom, some 77% of respondents are satisfied with the availability of utilities, 69% with the stability of political environment, and 73% with general safety and security. Some 61% are satisfied with the ability to maintain healthy personal relationships. About 75% of respondents indicate they are in good-to-excellent health with another 20% indicating they are in somewhat average health, and 4% citing some degree of health issues which they claim are predominantly under control. But despite all this happiness, people say they are stressed. Seven out of 10 respondents indicate the number one cause of stress in the Kingdom is, as across the rest of the region, the increasing cost of living. Other leading causes are work-related issues (as stated by 52% of respondents) and the inability to maintain a good work/life balance (as stated by 47% of respondents). As far as work is concerned, 49% of the surveyed employees in the Kingdom claim to be “somewhat satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with their job, but 63% of respondents claim to be stressed. In terms of recognition received at work, 20% of professionals in the Kingdom are “extremely satisfied”, while 20% are “extremely satisfied” with working hours and 16% are “extremely satisfied” with support received from colleagues. “Happiness differs greatly on different factors when we're comparing the three main regions in the MENA: North Africa, Levant, and the GCC. The survey reveals the Kingdom as one of the happiest countries within the region. This satisfaction can be attributed to the fact that people have access to a solid infrastructure, a stable political environment, and general safety and stability,” said Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov. “For life satisfaction, it is pretty clear that employment is an extremely important factor. Stress is a prevalent issue across the region, which is likely reflective of the uncertain economic situation experienced in many MENA countries. However, despite the fact that many professionals seem to be afflicted with stress-related ailments, there seems to be a general sense of happiness with the overall state of life,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. The general state of the country of residence is also seen to highly affect happiness in the MENA. GCC respondents have much higher levels of satisfaction on most attributes.
