"Frustrated with Politics? The Real Ambitions of Young Folks"
Youthful Desires Unveiled: Revealing the true wishes of contemporary adolescents
By Aljoscha Prange
Let's debunk the usual stereotypes about youngsters. They're not lazy, uninterested, or oversensitive. A recent, nationwide survey conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Institute for Social Work (ISA) paints a different portrait. A whopping 95% of 1,000 youngsters aged 10 to 15 interviewed expressed a desire to make a change, get involved, and voice their opinions. However, they need to be asked more often.
The survey reveals that a majority (49.3%) of youngsters regard their lives as rather or very satisfying, while only 5% are not content. When asked about their priorities for a good life, they put strong emphasis on social relationships with peers (around one-third) and family relationships (a fifth).
Economy: A Different Perspective
Contrary to popular presumptions, youngsters prioritize their savings for shared activities with friends, followed by "trendy things" like clothing, cosmetics, and technology. Hobbies come in third, with the internet and phone rounding out the top four. Unfortunately, only around 20% of parents cover the expense of their children's leisure activities with peers, leaving most to fund these activities themselves. For those who lack sufficient funds, this could mean staying home, leading to potential isolation.
MONEY WORRIES
It's no wonder that money worries often cross the minds of 46.4% of the respondents. Almost half (49%) admitted to not being able to afford something that their friends owned. It's not just about keeping up with trends; the stress of rising rents and food prices has a significant impact on families' financial stability, which, in turn, affects the emotional wellbeing of the whole family.
Body, Mind, and Soul
Financial stability isn’t the only source of stress for youngsters. School, grades, homework, and exams impose significant pressure and worry. Their worries are compounded by global conflicts, climate change, and the rise of right-wing populism. According to Lukas Thiehoff of the Youth Expert Team (JEx-Team) of the Bertelsmann Foundation, "Young people shouldn't have to feel this way. They should be freer in their lives and less controlled by fears."
EDUCATION and GRADING
While 61% of students rate their school as "good" and 34% as "very good," their opinions on grading are more divided. The majority (52.3%) find grades to be unnecessary or even detrimental to learning, with only 13% stating they require grades to learn. They view homework as a burden that can exacerbate inequalities among students since it often depends on the home environment whether students receive support with completing their assignments. Instead, students emphasize the importance of clarity about the reasons for the lessons, the opportunity to ask questions when they don't understand, engagement in determining the topics of instruction, and places to focus.
Not Lazy at All
Romena Bassingha, another member of the JEx-Team, advocates for greater political involvement, particularly from young people. "There are lobby groups for everything, but not for students and young people. I wish the Bundestag were younger. And I wish for more youth participation."
GENERATIONAL LABELS: CHANGE IS COMING
As the old guard in parliament focuses on their future, many young people feel excluded from decisions made about their lives. "We just want to live in peace. And we want to have a say. We're old enough to make decisions. Some of us can even vote. We have answers, but we're not being asked. I'm so angry at politics."
The enumerated stereotypes don't seem to apply to these youngsters. According to Thiehoff, young people face a double standard. "On the one hand, it's said that young people should work more and want to work again. But they're not given a real future perspective." It's about self-realization and leading fulfilling lives, not just about putting in long hours and eventually burning out. Bassingha echoes this sentiment: "You can say many things about Gen Z, but lazy is certainly not one of them."
Sources: ntv.de,https://frauen-politik-magazin.de/recherche-laenderrecherchen/https://www.bwi-barcelona.org/en/news/2021/11/16/2021-11-16-better-child-support-more-trust-could-help-reduce-youth-unemploymenthttps://www.globalscholars.org/research/interventions/youth-political-participation
- "The survey findings challenge the perception that young people are purely interested in lifestyle choices, as 95% of the respondents aim to make a change and voice their opinions, with a majority placing emphasis on social relationships and education-and-self-development."
- "Contrary to the assumption that young people prioritize vocational training for a stable career, the survey reveals that they seek opportunities for self-realization and fulfilling lives, prioritizing social relationships, saving for shared activities with friends, and education and self-development over vocational training."
