As each nation introduced its own lockdown rules and regulations to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government was quick to respond to address the pandemic situation. The UAE local authorities announced new regulations, all in hopes of controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus within the country.
- 63% of UAE residents allotted more time cooking at home.
- 52% of residents spent time on online news, video content, and social media.
- UAE is one of the world’s most digitally connected countries.
Also Read: McKinsey Insights on The Food Rush: Food Delivery App Market 2020
Based on a Statista’s COVID-19 cases in the UAE recorded from January 29 to April 2, the increase drastically went by the end of March. From March onwards, the coronavirus rapidly spread across continents and countries—and the UAE is not an exemption.
UAE, being a commercial hub of the Middle East, is a melting pot of nationalities. Mckinsey conducted a short survey among the diversely-rich population of the UAE to get insights into residents’ agenda during the nationwide lockdown.
The study was fielded from April 24 to 29, 2020, and gathered 510 UAE residents who are 18 years old as respondents. Published last May, we got a substantial peep into what the UAE residents were into during the lockdown in the country.
When asked “Over the next two weeks, how much time do you expect to spend on these activities compared to how much time you normally spend on them?”, 63% of the respondents answered that they expect to allot more time cooking. This activity is followed by digital-savvy activities such as watching video content, browsing social media and reading news online at 52%.
UAE: A Digitally-Connected Nation
Based on their answers, no doubt the UAE nation is deemed a digital native. The study records 23 percent of respondents planning to turn away from spending too much time watching TV, the most popular traditional media.
The digital preference over traditional media is very evident within the UAE community. When compared to other digital media, television ranks on the bottom three, along with the options: fixing or improving things and meditation or mindfulness.
Based on Hootsuite, digital penetration compared to the country’s population is extremely high in the UAE. It records 99% penetration for internet users and social media and 200% of the population having mobile subscriptions in 2019.
The UAE is one of the world’s digitally connected countries, and the statistics prove it. In fact, with ceiling numbers, this suggests that the UAE people are most likely heavily influenced by social media and other online media platforms.
RR Author
Real Research News is the media platform that presents insights and studies of wide-range of topics. It focuses on insights gathered from its survey app.
