Global Perception Shift — How the World Sees Saudi Arabia Now

Global Perception Shift — How the World Sees Saudi Arabia Now

Saudi Arabia’s international image has undergone a transformation that few analysts predicted when Vision 2030 was launched in April 2016. A country once associated primarily with oil wealth, religious conservatism, and geopolitical controversy is now increasingly recognized for entertainment spectacles, sports investment, tourism development, and social liberalization. Yet this perception shift is neither universal nor uncontested. The gap between how different global audiences perceive Saudi Arabia reveals the complexity of reputation transformation and the limits of what even billions of dollars in soft power investment can achieve.

This intelligence assessment examines the available data on global perception changes, analyzes the drivers and resistors of perception shift, evaluates the effectiveness of specific Saudi reputation strategies, and assesses the implications for Expo 2030 as the Kingdom’s defining moment of international scrutiny.

Quantitative Perception Data — What the Polls Show

International opinion polling on perceptions of Saudi Arabia is limited but revealing. The available data points paint a picture of significant but uneven perception improvement.

Arab Barometer surveys (covering the Middle East and North Africa region) show that perceptions of Saudi Arabia among Arab publics have improved substantially since 2016. Saudi Arabia’s entertainment investments, religious site modernization, and regional leadership role contribute to favorable ratings of 65-75 percent across most Arab countries surveyed. The improvement is strongest among younger demographics (18-34), who are most exposed to Saudi entertainment content and most receptive to the Kingdom’s modernization narrative.

Pew Research Center data on perceptions of Saudi Arabia in Western countries shows more modest improvement. Favorable views among American adults increased from approximately 25 percent in 2018 (post-Khashoggi) to approximately 35 percent by 2025 — a meaningful recovery but still a minority position. European perceptions are generally less favorable, with favorable ratings ranging from 20-30 percent across major European countries. The gender gap in Western perceptions is notable: women in Western countries hold significantly less favorable views of Saudi Arabia than men, likely reflecting awareness of gender-related human rights concerns.

YouGov BrandIndex data for Saudi Arabia as a tourism brand shows a more positive trajectory than general country perception. Saudi Arabia’s tourism brand awareness has increased dramatically since the introduction of tourist visas in 2019, and consideration (the percentage of respondents who would consider visiting) has grown from near-zero in Western markets to 8-15 percent across major European and North American markets. Among Asian markets (particularly India, China, and Southeast Asia), consideration rates are substantially higher, reflecting both demographic proximity and fewer pre-existing negative associations.

The Media Sentiment Shift

Media content analysis provides one of the most granular measures of perception change. Analysis of English-language media coverage of Saudi Arabia reveals a significant shift in the volume and nature of coverage since 2016.

Volume. The total volume of English-language media mentions of Saudi Arabia has approximately tripled since 2016, driven primarily by sports coverage (Newcastle United, LIV Golf, Saudi Pro League, Formula One, boxing), entertainment coverage (Riyadh Season, MDL Beast, concerts), tourism coverage (Red Sea resorts, AlUla, Diriyah), and business coverage (PIF investments, NEOM, Aramco IPO). This volume increase means that more people encounter Saudi Arabia-related content more frequently, increasing awareness and creating opportunities for perception formation.

Tone. The proportion of positive and neutral coverage has increased from approximately 30 percent of total coverage in 2016 to approximately 55-60 percent in 2025. This shift reflects the growing share of coverage devoted to entertainment, sports, and business topics — which tend to be positive or neutral in tone — relative to political, human rights, and security coverage, which tends to be negative. Importantly, the absolute volume of negative coverage has not decreased; it has been diluted by the much larger volume of positive content.

Topic Diversity. In 2016, Saudi Arabia media coverage was dominated by three topics: oil prices, Yemen war, and terrorism/extremism. By 2025, the topic distribution is far more diverse: sports, entertainment, tourism, technology, business, social reform, women’s rights progress, cultural events, and mega-projects all generate significant coverage. This topic diversification means that international audiences encountering Saudi Arabia in media are exposed to a much wider range of associations, reducing the dominance of any single negative narrative.

Regional Perception Variations

The perception shift varies dramatically by region, creating a fragmented global image that presents both opportunities and challenges for Expo 2030 planning.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. Saudi Arabia’s perception among GCC populations is broadly positive and has improved further since 2016. The entertainment revolution — particularly Riyadh Season and the Six Flags Qiddiya opening — has repositioned Saudi Arabia as a leisure destination for Gulf residents who previously traveled exclusively to Dubai or Bahrain for entertainment. The Saudi Pro League’s recruitment of international football stars has generated enthusiasm among Gulf sports fans. However, commercial competition between Saudi Arabia and the UAE for regional headquarters, tourism, and investment creates an undercurrent of rivalry that complicates the bilateral relationship.

Broader Arab and Muslim World. Saudi Arabia’s perception across the wider Arab and Muslim world is shaped primarily by religious tourism (Hajj and Umrah), development aid (the Kingdom is one of the world’s largest providers of humanitarian assistance), and cultural affinity. The modernization of the Hajj and Umrah experience, the relaxation of Umrah visa restrictions, and the investment in holy site infrastructure have strengthened Saudi Arabia’s standing among Muslim-majority populations. However, the normalization of entertainment and social liberalization has generated criticism from conservative religious communities who view the changes as a departure from Saudi Arabia’s traditional role as guardian of Islamic values.

South and Southeast Asia. These regions represent some of the most positive perception trajectories. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines collectively send millions of workers and religious visitors to Saudi Arabia, creating extensive people-to-people connections. The Kingdom’s investments in cricket (the Saudi-backed International League T20) and its courtship of Bollywood celebrities have further enhanced perceptions among South Asian audiences. The perception improvement is most pronounced in the 18-35 age demographic, which is heavily exposed to Saudi entertainment content through social media.

Europe. European perceptions remain the most resistant to improvement. European media coverage of Saudi Arabia is disproportionately focused on human rights, gender equality, press freedom, and labor conditions — topics where Saudi Arabia’s record invites criticism. The sportswashing narrative has gained particular traction in European media, creating a framing device that recontextualizes every Saudi sports investment as an attempt to distract from human rights abuses. European perceptions are also influenced by the strong institutional presence of human rights organizations (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders) that maintain sustained critical attention on Saudi Arabia.

North America. American perceptions of Saudi Arabia are shaped by a unique combination of factors: the September 11 legacy, energy market interests, defense partnerships, and the Khashoggi killing. The perception improvement since the Khashoggi nadir in 2018 has been meaningful but incomplete. American perceptions tend to be more pragmatic than European perceptions — U.S. audiences are more receptive to the economic opportunity narrative and less focused on the human rights critique — but the baseline remains unfavorable.

East Asia. China, Japan, and South Korea represent perception markets where Saudi Arabia starts from a position of relative neutrality rather than negativity. These audiences have fewer pre-existing negative associations with Saudi Arabia and are more receptive to the modernization and investment narratives. Saudi Arabia’s strategic partnerships with China (including major PIF investments in Chinese technology companies) and Japan (the NEOM partnership with SoftBank) create institutional relationships that support positive perception formation.

Drivers of Perception Improvement

Several factors have driven the perception improvement observed across most global markets.

Sports Investment. The single most effective perception driver, measured by reach and engagement metrics, has been Saudi Arabia’s sports investment program. The acquisition of Newcastle United created millions of engaged fans who follow Saudi Arabia-related content weekly. LIV Golf generated billions of media impressions. The Saudi Pro League’s recruitment of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema produced some of the most-viewed content on global social media in 2023. The sports investments work because they create emotional engagement (fandom, excitement, loyalty) that operates below the threshold of conscious political assessment.

Social Liberalization Visibility. Images and videos of women driving in Saudi Arabia, families attending concerts, mixed-gender entertainment events, and Saudi youth enjoying cultural experiences that were impossible a decade ago have reshaped perceptions among audiences who follow social media. The visual evidence of social change is particularly persuasive because it is difficult to dismiss as propaganda — the changes are real, visible, and documented by millions of Saudi citizens sharing their own experiences.

Tourism Marketing. The Saudi Tourism Authority’s marketing campaigns, influencer partnerships, and travel media familiarization programs have introduced Saudi Arabia’s diverse landscapes and cultural experiences to audiences who had no prior awareness of the Kingdom as a travel destination. The marketing success is measurable in the tourism consideration metrics, which show significant increases across all major source markets.

Economic Engagement. PIF’s global investment program, the Regional Headquarters Program (which has attracted 200+ multinational companies to Riyadh), and Saudi Arabia’s growing role in technology investment (AI, gaming, digital infrastructure) create business relationships that generate positive perceptions within influential corporate and financial communities.

Resistors of Perception Improvement

Several factors resist or counteract the perception improvement.

The Khashoggi Legacy. The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 remains the single most damaging event for Saudi Arabia’s international reputation. The incident crystallized criticism of the Saudi government’s approach to dissent and created a reference point that media coverage routinely invokes when covering Saudi Arabia. The Khashoggi legacy is particularly resistant to soft power remediation because it involved a direct, personal act of violence against a journalist — a category of event that generates sustained moral outrage among media professionals and civil society organizations.

Human Rights Reporting. International human rights organizations maintain sustained attention on Saudi Arabia’s record regarding political prisoners, freedom of expression, labor conditions (particularly for migrant workers), and the use of the death penalty. These organizations’ reports are regularly cited in media coverage and congressional testimony, creating a persistent negative information stream that counteracts positive perception drivers.

The Sportswashing Frame. The concept of sportswashing — using sports investments to distract from or rehabilitate a negative reputation — has become a dominant analytical frame in European and North American media coverage of Saudi Arabia’s sports investments. The frame is powerful because it automatically recontextualizes positive events (tournament victories, event hosting, athlete signings) as evidence of cynical manipulation, neutralizing the positive perception effects that the investments are designed to generate.

Geopolitical Positioning. Saudi Arabia’s relationships with countries and entities that are viewed negatively by Western audiences — including close ties with authoritarian governments, arms purchases that may be used in conflict zones, and oil production decisions that affect energy prices — create perception headwinds that are beyond the reach of soft power strategies.

The Expo 2030 Perception Test

Expo 2030 represents the most consequential perception event in Saudi Arabia’s modern history. For six months, the world’s attention will be focused on Riyadh, and the perception formed during this period will shape Saudi Arabia’s international image for a decade or more.

The Expo’s perception impact will be determined by three factors:

Visitor Experience. The 40 million visits will generate millions of personal testimonials — social media posts, reviews, conversations — that collectively form the most powerful perception-shaping force. If visitors have positive experiences — if the facilities are impressive, the hospitality is warm, the cultural content is engaging, and the logistical experience is smooth — these testimonials will do more to shift perception than any marketing campaign. Conversely, if visitors encounter poor service, climate distress, logistical failures, or disappointing content, the negative testimonials will be amplified by media seeking to challenge the Saudi narrative.

Media Coverage Balance. The 10,000+ international journalists who will cover the Expo will produce coverage that spans the full spectrum from celebratory to critical. Saudi Arabia cannot control this coverage and should not attempt to. Instead, the strategy should focus on providing journalists with compelling positive stories (innovative pavilions, Saudi transformation examples, cultural depth, technological achievement) that are more interesting and more numerous than the default critical narratives.

Lasting Impressions. The perception value of the Expo extends beyond the event period. Visitors and media who encounter a genuinely transformed Saudi Arabia will carry those impressions forward, influencing future travel decisions, business relationships, and political attitudes. The lasting impression — “Saudi Arabia was not what I expected” — is the most valuable perception outcome the Expo can generate.

Assessment and Outlook

Saudi Arabia’s global perception has improved meaningfully since 2016, driven by sports investment, social liberalization, tourism development, and economic engagement. The improvement is most pronounced in the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia, and least pronounced in Western Europe. The perception shift is real but incomplete — Saudi Arabia’s image among influential Western media, political, and civil society audiences remains significantly negative.

The trajectory suggests continued gradual improvement through 2030, driven by sustained soft power investment, the maturation of tourism products, and the cumulative effect of social liberalization. However, the pace of improvement is constrained by structural resistors (the Khashoggi legacy, human rights reporting, the sportswashing frame) that are unlikely to disappear within the next four years.

Expo 2030 offers the opportunity to accelerate the perception shift through a concentrated period of positive international engagement. The event’s success in this dimension depends not on controlling the narrative — which is impossible — but on providing a visitor and media experience so compelling that it generates more positive content than negative, more curiosity than cynicism, and more engagement than dismissal.

The most important perception shift may not be in how the world sees Saudi Arabia, but in how Saudi citizens see themselves and their country’s place in the world. A nation that can host 40 million visitors with confidence, hospitality, and cultural pride is a nation whose self-perception has been transformed as fundamentally as its international image. That internal transformation — which is genuine and accelerating — may ultimately be the most durable legacy of Saudi Arabia’s decade-long perception campaign.