Young people in Romania want to be supported in terms of the laboir market, housing and access to education, as well as career guidance and counseling, show the conclusions of an opinion barometer regarding the situation of youth and their expectations, carried out by CURS at the behest of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities.

The result of the opinion barometer was presented, on Monday, at the gov’t venue, during an event organized by the said ministry on the occasion of International Youth Day.

Another conclusion of the barometer shows, regarding employment and entrepreneurship, that for young people „high incomes and job security are the most important aspects, probably also because of the uncertainties that mark the current economic context”.

„Access to a job still remains the main barrier to young people’s independence,” the CURS barometer adds.

Regarding civic participation, young people „to a large extent feel that their power to influence public decisions is low and they are less interested in civic participation”.

As for the quality of life, the current situation is „a problem, the wider context, marked by the pandemic, war and inflation, probably contributes to this”.

„There is a causal connection between the workplace (income), housing and starting a family. Therefore, the lack of stability of the workplace and the difficulty of access to a home are major obstacles for young people to start a family,” the barometer reveals.

The document says that „education must guarantee fair access, eliminating any possible barrier that could stand in the way of a quality education for young people”.

„Although dissatisfied with the way school prepares them for life, young people recognize the essential contribution of education to success in life. Young people seek to supplement and improve their formal education through non-formal activities,” the conclusions regarding education read.

On mobility and emigration, the barometer reveals that „going abroad is still a wish for many young people in our country”, „indicating the same three main destinations: to work temporarily, study or to settle permanently.”

The Barometer 2024, carried out by CURS at the behest of the Ministry of Youth, involved the use of a mix of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The CURS study was carried out with the participation of 1,100 young people, aged between 14 and 35 years, 400 vulnerable young people, including 8 focus groups conducted with 64 young people belonging to the Y, Z and Alpha generations.

The CURS barometer can be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Youth and Family, where the main projects that the government, through sectoral policies, is running to support young Romanians are also presented.

During the event, the minister of Youth and Family, Natalia Intotero, emphasized that Romania has prepared and quality young people who must dare and be determined to achieve their goals.

In the same context, minister Intotero also introduced the representatives of Romania for the period 2024-2025, on behalf of the youth, at the United Nations, Alexian-Arthur Stark and Patricia-Alexandra Nae, and signaled the appearance of a tribute volume entitled „The Story of the Youth in Romania in Global Diplomacy”.

The UN Youth Delegate Programme was inaugurated in Romania in 2006, being currently coordinated by the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The event at the gov’t Hqs. was attended by, among others, the minister of Digitization, Bogdan Ivan, the head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, Mihai Ghigiu, representatives of youth organizations and federations and students, young people from the Government’s internship programme.

AGERPRES