For the second time, the KJR wants to know from children, adolescents and young adults how they live, think and what problems they have. The answers should also provide information about the effects of the pandemic.
How do young people feel about the Corona rules, where would they like to live later and what do they miss where they live? The Kreisjugendring (KJR) would like to know this and more from young people and adolescents in its second youth survey in the district of Munich. Within half an hour, the participants can click through a catalog of a total of 40 questions online. Topics such as problems in everyday life, values, school and digitization are also addressed in the survey. The questions have been on the website of the KJR in Pullach since the beginning of February and are aimed at children and young people aged ten up to and including 26 years and can be answered until March 15th.
Anyone who fills out the youth survey in full has the opportunity to win various prizes: an adventure day with five friends, an iPad, a Spotify annual subscription or vouchers for ADAC driving safety training. With the raffle, the KJR wants to increase the number of participants. In the first study in 2019, 2,000 children and young people took part. At that time, the organizers expected a higher number, because around 65,000 children and adolescents between the ages of ten and 27 live in the entire district of Munich.
“At the first press conference I trumpeted that we want to reach 10,000 young people,” says KJR chairman Jan Museler. There probably won’t be that many this year either. In two weeks, 800 young people have already taken part, which makes Museler confident that there will be a little more this time. The survey is part of the “Voice of Youth” campaign under the patronage of District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU).
The fact that the first survey took place before the Corona outbreak gives the KJR the opportunity to compare the living conditions of young people before and during the pandemic, emphasizes project manager Blandine Ehrl. It is also the first study to collect district-wide data on the opinions, needs and desires of the younger generation. Before that there were smaller surveys at the municipal level in the youth centers or in the schools. But being able to compare the views of young people across the district did not exist back then. Now the youth survey is to take place every three years so that the youth welfare office, youth centers and local politicians can better take the interests of young people into account in their work.
“A concrete measure was, for example, a workshop in the youth center on the topic of fake news and body shaming, because internet use was so high,” says Blandine Ehrl. Because the study in 2019 showed that social media takes first place in leisure activities, ahead of sport, chilling out and meeting friends. The results of this year’s youth survey are expected to be published in August. The Mayor of Feldkirch, Andreas Janson (UWV), who was present at the presentation of the youth survey, is looking forward to it: Insight into the living environment of young people could initiate a new beginning in Feldkirchen – for example an improved youth center with offers that the younger generation really needs interested.