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Guide · Research · For the owner who keeps hearing survey numbers

What 11,056 people told Meta about messaging a business: the 2026 survey that included the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and how far to trust it

Percentages about customers and messaging turn up in every WhatsApp pitch. Many of the current ones come from a single survey Meta commissioned for its 2026 State of Business Messaging report, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia were among the countries asked. Here is who was asked, what they said, including about AI, and what the numbers can and cannot tell a business in the Gulf.

Published 6 October 2026

Who Meta asked

Meta's report page says the research firm Kantar surveyed 11,056 online adults aged 18 to 64, commissioned by Meta, in 22 markets: the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, India, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Turkey, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, New Zealand and Australia. Eighteen markets were surveyed in April 2025 and four more in September 2025.

Each country's sample was balanced to its online population, and the overall results were weighted to the global internet population, which Meta says gives more influence to countries with larger online populations. The public page gives no figures for the UAE or Saudi Arabia on their own. Our reading: the headline percentages describe online adults across all 22 markets, not customers in the Gulf.

What people said

Messaging as the way to reach a business
73.3% prefer messaging when communicating with a business, 66.8% feel frustrated when it is not offered, and 69% say waiting on hold is a waste of time.
Buying and trust
72.4% are more likely to buy from a brand that offers messaging, 74.6% trust a business more when they can exchange messages with it, and 79.3% want proof that a business is legitimate before engaging.
Order updates
Meta's blog, citing the same survey, says over 91% enjoyed receiving order updates by messaging and 90% prefer timely alerts when an order's status changes.
Security messages and codes
Over 90% enjoyed receiving security notifications such as fraud, payment or data privacy alerts by messaging, and over 40% prefer to receive one-time passwords by messaging rather than by email or a phone call.
Tone
75.1% want to message businesses the way they message friends and family.

What people said about AI

Two figures on the report page are about AI. 67.7% agree that getting a response from an AI chatbot is helpful, and 42.9% believe AI would improve their messaging experience. Our reading: most people accept an AI reply when it helps, but fewer than half expect AI to make messaging better, so an AI agent that answers well and hands over to a person when it cannot is closer to what people said than one that tries to keep every conversation. What Meta's own agent does, and how to test it before customers meet it, is in the Meta Business Agent guide and the testing guide.

How to use the numbers

  1. Quote them as Meta's. They come from a survey Meta paid for, published by Meta to encourage businesses onto WhatsApp. They are worth knowing, and worth attributing: the 2026 State of Business Messaging report, research by Kantar commissioned by Meta.
  2. Start with updates and security. The highest figures are for order updates and security alerts, messages a customer is waiting for. Our reading: that is where a business new to WhatsApp has the least to lose, with the customer's permission first.
  3. Show you are who you say you are. With 79.3% wanting proof of legitimacy, a complete profile and Meta's verification signals matter. The blue tick guide covers what Meta checks.
  4. Treat brand success stories as examples, not forecasts. Meta's own footnote to the customer results in these posts says they are self-reported, not identifiably repeatable, and that individual results will differ.

Questions

Were people in the UAE asked?

Yes. Meta's report page lists the UAE and Saudi Arabia among the 22 markets in the Kantar survey. It does not publish their results separately; the headline figures are weighted across all 22 markets.

Do customers want AI to answer them?

On Meta's report page, 67.7% agree a response from an AI chatbot is helpful, and 42.9% believe AI would improve their messaging experience.

Who carried out the survey?

Kantar, commissioned by Meta, online, among 11,056 adults aged 18 to 64, in April and September 2025.

Can we use these figures in our own pitch?

They are published by Meta, so say where they come from: Meta's 2026 State of Business Messaging report, based on Kantar research commissioned by Meta. Avoid presenting them as figures for your own country or customers.

Sources

More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.

Want customers to reach you where they prefer?

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