Most expats living in UAE ‘ignorant’ of culture
From Middle East Feb 16 2012 BY: Simon Danaher
, Online News Editor
, International Adviser
More than 70% of expatriates living in the United Arab Emirates admit they know very little or nothing about the country in which they live.
According to a survey of over 2,000 people conducted by UAE expat magazine 999, 60% of expats said they “only knew the basics” of the culture in which they live, while 12% admitted to knowing “next to nothing”.
The research pool was selected randomly and included 39% Westerners, 42% Asians, 15% Arabs, 4% Africans and “others”. Of these, 77% had lived in the UAE for more than a year, with 34% having stayed between two and five years, 22% between five and ten years, and 21% over ten years. Only 23% of the sample group had spent only one year or less in the UAE.
When questioned about whether or not they felt the information was available to them in order to gain cultural knowledge, 70% said there are enough resources available. However of these, half said they only “occasionally” try to learn, while 16% confessed they “hardly ever try”.
The English-language magazine, which is published by the UAE Ministry of Interior, said the findings suggest a “serious case of ignorance of the country’s moral boundaries and thus explains the increasing incidents of expats falling foul of the law”.