A research team, led by Northwestern University in Qatar, is working to expand a regional study it carried out this year on the use of entertainment media in the Middle East, in order to show the role of the entertainment media in laying the foundations of the economy knowledge.
The results of the second phase of the survey study, which is the first of its kind and was conducted during this year, were based on direct interviews with more than 6 thousand people, representing random samples of 6 different Arab countries including Qatar, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The findings of the study questioned the use of the media and cultural attitudes within the belief that there is a conflict between modernity and the preservation of cultural heritage in the Arab world, and also showed concern about how to maintain this cultural heritage and the increase of control over the entertainment media and showed at the same time popular entertainment content produced in the west.
Based on the importance of this study, the research team in charge of the study obtained a research grant from the national priorities program for scientific research, one of the programs offered by the US National Scientific Research Fund, which aims at supporting the work of the study over two years.
The results of the survey will be presented at the International Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 2014, which will be held in the city of Montreal, Canada, during next August.
Thanks to this grant, the research team, headed by Dr. Everette E. Dennis Dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar, will be able to continue their hard work to provide a knowledge base about the habits and behaviors in the Middle East in various sectors, especially entertainment, sports, culture and children's programs.