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Consumers across the Middle East and North Africa going green with change in shopping habits, according to Yahoo! Maktoob Research

Survey reveals attitudes towards environment in the Middle East and North Africa as world marks Earth Day
AL-Riyadh - April 23, 2011: Consumers across the Middle East and North Africa are changing their lifestyle and shopping habits as they become more environmentally aware, according to a new survey from Yahoo! Maktoob Research.

The online poll canvassed opinion on environmental issues across the Arab world in advance of the annual global Earth Day this Friday, April 22.

The survey showed that people across the Middle East and North Africa are well informed about environmental issues with more than 60 percent of those polled concerned about the environment and agreeing that the seriousness of global warming is generally underestimated.

About half of the respondents in the Middle East and North Africa expressed dissatisfaction with the deteriorating environment in their home country.

Tamara Deprez, Head of Yahoo! Maktoob Research said, "There is an ongoing debate in green circles over whether the Middle East and North Africa is really taking climate change and risks of environmental pollution seriously, and it's interesting to see that the level of awareness is indeed high in the region with many intending to take personal actions to become more environmentally conscious."

Across the Arab world, eighty percent of people polled were aware that the earth's rising temperature is mainly triggered by the effects of pollution. According to the poll, greater awareness and understanding of environmental issues is changing the way people live and shop.

The Yahoo! Maktoob Research survey said that 44 percent of consumers in the region have changed their purchasing behavior by choosing products which they believed to be more environmentally friendly, while the majority of respondents - 60 percent - agreed that the environment is a very important factor in their purchasing decisions.

At home people are making an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. About seven out of ten consumers consciously attempt to reduce their household's usage of energy, while nearly half of households (46%) use water saving devices to improve water efficiency and reduce water consumption.

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY

The Middle East and North Africa is reaffirming its commitment to improve the environment celebrating Earth Day on April 22. Earth Day has spread across the globe with thousands of events in more than 180 countries.

Seventy-eight percent of respondents in the region are aware of Earth Day, the Yahoo! Maktoob Research poll said.

While Moroccans seem to be most knowledgeable about Earth Day celebrations (75%), Algerians and Iraqis (26%) fall drastically behind regarding Earth Day awareness, the poll revealed.

The short online poll had a sample of 1,700 consumers aged 15 and older from 14 Arab countries. A minimum of 100 consumers per country were interviewed through the Yahoo! Maktoob Research community.

A host of related opinion polls and surveys can be found through Arab Eye (www.arab-eye.com), the Yahoo! Maktoob Research community - accessible online through the new Yahoo! Maktoob homepage for the Middle East (maktoob.yahoo.com) presented in both English and Arabic.

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About Yahoo! Maktoob Research
Launched in September 2006, Yahoo! Maktoob Research combines the region's largest online consumer panel in the Middle East and North Africa with the latest in international online research standards, to provide marketing professionals with better insights on consumer opinions, needs and expectations. Yahoo! Maktoob Research guarantees delivery of high-quality, super-fast quantitative research projects at highly competitive rates. Yahoo! Maktoob Research can target its panel members by demographics, such as age, gender and occupation among others, which makes it possible to target specific areas, a survey targeted at students for example. Key behavioral patterns are available too. Yahoo! Maktoob Research not only provides full project support to its clients via survey programming, translations and sampling, but also a complete research package, including consultancy. For more information, log on to: www.maktoob-research.com.

About Yahoo! Middle East
Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) is the premier digital media company, creating deeply personal digital experiences that keep more than half a billion people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the globe. That's how we deliver your world, your way. And Yahoo!'s unique combination of Science + Art + Scale connects advertisers to the consumers who build their businesses. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.com) or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal (yodel.yahoo.com).

For more information, please contact:
Hala Saqqa
Hill and Knowlton
Email: hala.saqqa@hillandknowlton.com
Tel: +971 4 33 44 930

Tala Toukan
Yahoo! Maktoob
Tel: +971 4 4456283
Email: ttoukan@yahoo-inc.com

© Press Release 2011