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ABSTRACT
In April 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled Saudi Vision 2030, and the accompanying National Transformation Programme. To mark the fifth anniversary of the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom's economic and diversification blueprint, Crown Prince Mohammed appeared on a popular Saudi talk show to discuss the progress of the Vision's National Transformation Programs and address the concerns of average citizens in relation to national development. Following the launch of the Vision, my 2017 paper Saudi Vision 2030: A Viable Response to Youth Aspirations and Concerns? documented young male perceptions of Vision 2030 including their expectations and aspirations for the future. This paper revisits the themes discussed in the earlier one and asks to what extent Vision 2030 has impacted Saudi youth mindsets and behaviour. What have been the significant transformations from the perspectives of Saudi youth of both genders, and are these transformations perceived as desirable, personally beneficial, and long lasting? It also documents that whilst there is widespread support for the Vision, there are concerns about the pace of change, as well as the perception that to date, there has been an over-emphasis on elite interests.
Notes
1 Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Vision 2030, www.vision2030.gov.sa/media/rc0b5oy1/saudi_vision203.pdf (accessed February 2021).
2 See, for example, ‘Full Transcript: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman interview with Saudi journalist Abdullah Al-Mudaifer’. Arab News, April 28, 2021, www.arabnews.com/node/1850146/media.
3 See, for example, Ziad Daoud, ‘Scoring Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 Five Years After Launch’. Bloomberg, April 28, 2021, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-28/scoring-saudi-arabia-vision-2030-five-years-after-launch-chart?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx_r-y5mm8gIVEdTtCh1ttgWGEAMYASAAEgJjAfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds.
4 See, for example, Hilal Kashan, ‘Saudi Arabia’s Flawed “Vision 2030”’. Middle East Quarterly Vol. 24. No. 1 (2017), https://www.meforum.org/6397/saudi-arabia-flawed-vision-2030.
5 See, for example, Mimi Kirk, ‘Saudi Arabia's $500 Billion Fantasy of a Utopian Megacity’. Bloomberg, November 3, 2017, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-03/can-saudi-arabia-deliver-on-neom-its-latest-megacity.
6 See, for example, Jay Rosen, ‘Synchronized for Success – The Red Sea Development Company’. hospitalitynet, March 14, 2019, www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4092411.html.
7 See, for example, Stephen Kalin and Marwa Rashad, ‘Saudi Arabia Launches Multi-billion-dollar Entertainment Resort’. Reuters, April 28, 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-qiddiya-ceo-idUSKBN1HZ0WF.
8 Stephen Grand and Katherine Wolff, ‘Assessing Saudi Vision 2030: A 2020 Review’. Atlantic Council, June 17, 2020, p. 65, www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Assessing-Saudi-Vision-2030-A-2020-review.pdf.
9 See, for example, Sophie Prideaux, ‘15 Mega-projects Shaping the Future of Saudi Arabia’. The National, April 28, 2021, www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/travel/15-mega-projects-shaping-the-future-of-saudi-arabia-1.980698.
10 Mark C. Thompson, ‘‘Saudi Vision 2030’: A Viable Response to Youth Aspirations and Concerns?’ Asian Affairs Vol. 48. Issue 2 (31 May 2017): 205–221. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03068374.2017.1313598.
11 See, ‘Saudi Youth in Numbers: A Report for International Youth Day 2020’. General Authority for Statistics, August 8, 2020, www.stats.gov.sa/sites/default/files/saudi_youth_in_numbers_report_2020en.pdf.
12 Mark C. Thompson, Being Young Male and Saudi: Identity and Politics in a Globalized Kingdom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019, p. 286.
13 Author’s online survey: (How much has your thinking about your life and your future changed since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030? How did you change and why?) كيف تغيرت ولماذا؟ إلى أي مدى تغيرت طريقة تفكيرك تجاه حياتك ومستقبلك منذ إطلاق رؤية المملكة ٢٠٣٠؟
14 Co-directed with Dr. Neil Quilliam, July 23–24, 2021, www.gulfresearchmeeting.net/workshops/saudi-youth-policy-relevance-dilemmas-challenges-opportunities/7.
15 Mark C. Thompson, ‘Insight 259: Saudi Youth Concerns Post-Covid-19’. Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, May 11, 2021, https://mei.nus.edu.sg/publication/insight-259-saudi-youth-concerns-post-covid-19/#_ftn8.
16 Ibid.
17 See, Mark C. Thompson, ‘‘Saudi Vision 2030’: A Viable Response to Youth Aspirations and Concerns?’, op. cit.
18 Author’s interviews August 2021.
19 The introduction of some forms of Western entertainment and/or specific Wester individuals remain contentious.
20 Author’s interview May 2021. See, for example, ‘So How Far-reaching are Social Reforms in Saudi Arabia?’ Arabian Business, August 6, 2019, www.arabianbusiness.com/travel-hospitality/425387-even-saudi-arabias-most-conservative-heartland-is-starting-to-sing.
21 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid. Author’s interviews April-September 2021. For more on Saudi identity narratives, see, Mark C. Thompson, ‘The Impact of Globalization on Saudi Male Millennials’ Identity Narratives’. Asian Affairs Vol. 50. Issue 3 (2019). www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03068374.2019.1636512.
24 For an overview of the Kingdom’s pandemic experience, see, Freddie Neve, ‘Saudi Arabia’s Response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic’. King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, May 27, 2020, www.kfcris.com/en/view/post/285.
25 Author’s interviews May/June 2021.
26 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
27 See, for example, Samir Salama, ‘100,000 Jobs for Saudis in Tourism by End of 2021’. Gulf News, March 21, 2021, https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/100000-jobs-for-saudis-in-tourism-by-end-of-2021-1.77988060.
28 For greater detail about this topic, see, Mark C. Thompson and Hanaa Almoaibed, ‘Good Jobs and Bad Jobs: Employment Attitudes, Perceptions, and Priorities in Saudi Arabia’. Dirasat 61, July 15, 2021, King Faisal Center for Research & Islamic Studies www.kfcris.com/en/view/post/350.
29 See, for example: ‘Full Transcript of Saudi Crown Prince CBS Interview’. Arab News, September 30, 2019, www.arabnews.com/node/1562026/media.
30 I was on Riyadh’s popular Tahlia Street when the interview was aired at 11 pm. The large Ramadan crowds who normally would have been watching football in the many cafes were instead focused intently on the interview. Author’s observation, Riyadh, April 2021.
31 Ismaeel Naar, Matthew Amlôt, Omar Elkatouri and Danielle Al Akl, ‘Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gives TV Interview on Vision 2030 Progress’. Al Arabiya English, April 27, 2021, https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/04/27/Saudi-Arabia-s-Crown-PrinceMohammed-Bin-Salman-to-give-television-interview.
32 The promise of a VAT rate decrease seems to be an acknowledgement of how such austerity measures have been received negatively by the public. See, Eman Alhussein, ‘Keeping the Spirit Alive: Vision 2030 Five Years On’. Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington DC, June 17, 2021, https://agsiw.org/keeping-the-spirit-alive-vision-2030-five-years-on/.
33 See, for example, Eman Alhussein and Sara Almohamadi, ‘Saudi Arabia Hikes Its VAT, But for How Long?’ Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington DC, July 2, 2020, https://agsiw.org/saudi-arabia-hikes-its-vat-but-for-how-long/.
34 Kristin Smith Diwan, ‘Keep the Faith: Mohammed bin Salman’s Message to Saudis’. Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington DC, May 3, 2021, https://agsiw.org/keep-the-faith-mohammed-bin-salmans-message-to-saudis/.
35 ‘Full Transcript of Crown Prince Interview on Vision 2030’. Saudi Gazette Report, April 28, 2021, https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/606127.
36 Author’s interview May 2021.
37 Ibid.
38 Author’s interview June 2021.
39 From the author’s experience, in the past, getting Saudis to agree to participate in seminars, workshops or similar dedicated to Saudi domestic issues was often hampered by this problem. However, the situation has improved considerably since 2016. The author’s 2021 Gulf Research Meeting workshop, cited earlier, is a good example.
40 Author’s interview May 2021.
41 See, for example, Md. Muddassir Quamar, Education System in Saudi Arabia. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp. 154–155.
42 See, McKinsey Global Institute, ‘Saudi Arabia Beyond Oil: The Investment and Productivity Transformation’. McKinsey&Company, December 2015, www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/employment%20and%20growth/moving%20saudi%20arabias%20economy%20beyond%20oil/mgi%20saudi%20arabia_executive%20summary_december%202015.ashx.
43 Author’s interview September 2021. There have been several examples where during a pitch the consultants forgot to call their PowerPoint creators in the Philippines and change the place names, for example Riga was displayed instead of Riyadh!
44 Ibid. The author taught many in the first cohort of Saudis to join foreign management consultancies in the Kingdom, and they have all moved on to other, usually better jobs. They understood fairly quickly that these positions have a definite ‘shelf life’.
45 See, for example, Omar Al-Ubaydli, ‘Saudi Arabia has Limited its Use of Foreign Consultants. But Why Now?’ Al Arabiya News, October 9, 2019, https://english.alarabiya.net/views/news/middle-east/2019/10/09/Saudi-Arabia-has-limited-its-use-of-foreign-consultants-But-why-now-.
46 Ibid.
47 Author’s interview May 2021.
48 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
49 Ibid. In fact, work priorities have changed to align with the Vision’s goals. For example, a young man who works in the information technology sector says that his company’s plans have been modified to provide services that support the Vision’s goals. Another example is the emergence of a nascent tourism sector.
50 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
51 Ibid.
52 Author’s interviews January 2021.
53 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
54 Author’s interviews March 2021.
55 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
56 Ibid.
57 Ibid.
58 Chairman Capital Market Authority (CMA).
59 CEO at Saudi National Industrial Development & Logistics Program (NIDLP).
60 Saudi Minister of State and former CMA Chairman.
61 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
62 Ibid.
63 Ibid.
64 ‘Saudi Arabia Social Media Statistics 2021’, gmi_blogger, June 23, 2021, www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/saudi-arabia-social-media-statistics/.
65 See, Twitter account @Ojeraisy.
66 Author’s interviews July 2021.
67 Ibid. This individual said he searched for information related to astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and statistics.
68 Author’s interviews August 2021. Yet, others are concerned that the concept of ‘life-long learning’ or learning for the sake of knowledge has become fragile, due to the monetisation of learning.
69 Ibid.
70 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
71 Ibid.
72 Ibid.
73 Author’s observations whilst travelling in Saudi Arabia 2020/21.
74 Ibid.
75 Author’s interview, July 2021.
76 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
77 Gulf Research Meeting workshop discussion, July 2021.
78 Ibid.
79 Author’s interview, August 2021.
80 See, for example, Najia Saqib, Priyanka Aggarwal and Saima Rashid, ‘Women Empowerment and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Saudi Arabia’. Advances in Management & Applied Economics Vol. 6. No. 5 (2016). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3288753.
81 Author’s interview, September 2021. This is important because Snapchat is hugely popular in the Kingdom.
82 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
83 Author’s interview, May 2021.
84 A good example is when women were first allowed to drive in June 2018. Foreign camera crews filmed the first legal Saudi women drivers, but my students at KFUPM pointed out that their female relatives could not afford to drive ‘those fancy cars’ as their families were normal Saudis and not members of elites.
85 See, www.gea.gov.sa/en.
86 Author’s interview, May 2021.
87 Author’s interview, September 2021.
88 Ibid.
89 I have heard this story many times in conversations with Careem taxi drivers. Author’s observation, Riyadh 2020/21.
90 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
91 Ibid.
92 Ibid.
93 Author’s interview, July 2021.
94 Ibid.
95 Author’s interviews and observations, Saudi Arabia 2020/21.
96 Ibid.
97 The same issue was discussed by Jane Kinninmont in 2017. See, Jane Kinninmont, ‘Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia’s Social Contract: Austerity and Transformation’. Chatham House, July 2017, p. 33, http://ipwna.ir/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/vision-2030-saudi-kinninmont-irpublicpolicy.pdf.
98 Author’s observation. This happens on an almost daily basis in conversation with drivers on my way to work.
99 Author’s interview, April 2021.
100 Author’s interviews and observations, Saudi Arabia 2020/21.
101 See, for example, Rahaf Jambi, ‘Riyadh Season 2021 Coming to a Desert Near You’. Arab News, September 27, 2021, www.arabnews.com/node/1936101/saudi-arabia.
102 See, Mark C. Thompson, Being Young Male and Saudi, pp. 251/252.
103 David Rundell, Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads. Bloomsbury IB Tauris, 2021, p. 251.
104 Author’s interviews and observations, Saudi Arabia 2020/21.
105 Caroline Montagu, ‘The Development of Saudi Culture’, unpublished paper, Gulf Research Meeting, July 2021.
106 Author’s interview, June 2021.
107 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
108 Ibid.
109 Author’s interviews and observations, Saudi Arabia 2020/21.
110 Author’s interview, May 2021.
111 Ibid.
112 Ibid.
113 Author’s interview August 2021.
114 Author’s online survey (see n. 13).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Mark C. Thompson
Dr. Mark C. Thompson is Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Socioeconomics Unit at King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) in Riyadh. He was previously Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (2012–2019). He has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia since 2001.