DUBAI — Nations which have a closeness between the ruler and the people have happier societies, according to an organisation which measures culture in different countries.
The UAE has emerged as one of the countries with the least perceived dysfunctionality and the country that values peace the most, out of 18 measured by Barrett Values Centre.
Centre founder and chairman Richard Barrett said even democratic countries engender unhappiness amongst society when the rulers are too distant.The UAE survey, the results of which were announced on Wednesday, covered 4,096 people aged 20 and up, from different segments of the community; 57 per cent UAE nationals and 43 per cent expatriates, 54 per cent of whom were male and 46 per cent female.
“Amazingly, the UAE society is full of ambition and respect of values,” Barrett said, noting that in other countries ambition and excellence outweighed respect, which generated greed and indifference. The UAE was one of only two to show all positive values in the top ten cultural values. Barrett said the results showed people in the UAE are highly satisfied with the current situation in the country.
When asked about the values they experienced in the UAE, respondents selected values such as peace, educational opportunities, aesthetics and loyalty. The Barrett Values Centre said the UAE was the only country among those surveyed to date that placed the value of ‘peace’ in its top 10 current values. It said this indicated a “strong sense of security” felt in the community and this was a crucial factor in the stability of any country.
The UAE also turned in the second lowest level of so-called “cultural entropy”, a measure of dysfunctional, toxic or destructive energy felt in the country, the company said. The level was pegged at just 12 per cent, ahead of the 4 per cent in Bhutan, but well below the above-50 per cent levels of the UK, France and the USA, and highest level of 72 per cent in Venezuela.
“ The survey showed the nature of the UAE society and its social values had very few negative aspects compared with other societies,” said Dhirar Belhoul, Director-General of Watani.
Source: Khaleej Times of Dubai
The recent findings of the UAE National Values Survey shows that People living in the UAE strongly value their relationships with family and are strongly committed to keeping ethics. UAE provides good employment opportunities and low crime rates. People have peace of mind and respect for each other and this can be the reason they value relationships and trust each other.
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