Government Trust
National Digital Intelligence Platform
United Arab EmiratesAD
PERCEPTION-X2
Domestic Perception
What UAE residents (nationals AND expats) actually think - trust, happiness, and sentiment analysis
Top 10 Key Takeaways
Critical insights from domestic perception research
1
UAE Government Trust
Ranked #1 globally in 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer with score of 80/100 - highest ever for any country in the index
2
Emirati Youth Optimism
91% believe UAE's best days are ahead - unprecedented confidence in national future
3
World Happiness
UAE ranked 21st globally (#1 in Arab world) with score of 6.821/10, ahead of US (23rd) and UK (29th)
4
Emiratisation Success
114,000+ Emiratis now in private sector (81,000+ via NAFIS), 36% increase in 2023
5
Expat Cost Crisis
Average Dubai household spends 50% of income on housing; saving remains extremely difficult despite no income tax
6
Mental Health Crisis
74% of depression cases go undiagnosed, 57% of adults have mental health disorder - expats particularly affected
7
No Citizenship Path
Primary driver of expat departure - no path to citizenship for non-Arab Muslims regardless of years lived
8
Marriage/Divorce Concerns
22.7% cite dowry costs as marriage obstacle; 27% overall divorce rate (37% for mixed marriages)
9
Regional Tensions Impact
US-Iran conflict creating new anxiety; some expats trapped by travel bans, others leaving; 30% salary cuts in hospitality
10
Social Isolation
Expats Meetup has 35,000 Dubai/10,000 Abu Dhabi members - indicating widespread loneliness epidemic
Emirati Sentiment
National sentiment analysis
Government trust
Strongly Positive
Future optimism
Strongly Positive
Leadership support
Strongly Positive
Economic stability confidence
Strongly Positive
Marriage/cost concerns
Negative
Private sector satisfaction
Mixed
Expat Sentiment
Expatriate sentiment analysis
Safety/security
Positive
Tax-free income
Positive
Infrastructure
Positive
Cost of living
Negative
Saving ability
Negative
Mental health support
Negative
Research Focus Areas
What this research examined
What UAE residents (nationals AND expats) actually think
National sentiment (Emirati satisfaction, trust, optimism, concerns)
Expat sentiment (happiness, frustration, leaving, challenges)
Government trust indices
Happiness and wellbeing rankings
Employment and economic concerns
Social cohesion and national identity
Core Perception Indicators
UAE relevance assessment
Government trust
Critical
Improving
Happiness ranking
Critical
Stable
Youth optimism
Critical
Very Positive
Expat departure reasons
High
Monitoring
Cost of living concerns
High
Worsening
Social cohesion
High
Needs Attention