Young people are regaining confidence in the future despite the period of the coronavirus pandemic (and its consequences), according to the results of a barometer published this Thursday. “The stigma of the pandemic is beginning to fade,” reports the annual survey of theInjep (National Institute of Youth and Popular Education) and Credoc (Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions), which assesses the morale of 18-30 year olds.
The results of the survey show for the year 2023 an improvement in the well-being of young people particularly prone to “deterioration of their mental health” and more exposed to “financial and employment consequences” during the health crisis. Despite a “potentially difficult context for young people”, undermined by “inflation, climate change or the war in Ukraine”, 64% of 18-30 year olds declare that their life corresponds to their expectations.
67% of young people say they are confident for the next three years
The year 2023 returns to the average of the last eight years and shows more positive results in terms of young people’s optimism for their near future. 67% of them thus declare themselves confident for the next three years, i.e. one point more than in 2022 and seven points more than in 2021. In comparison, “only 44% of those over 30 declare themselves confident for the next three years,” the survey indicates. According to the report, this result is partly explained by a “significantly more positive job market context in 2023” and “a drop in unemployment which particularly benefits younger generations”. Young people’s feelings vary according to determining factors such as gender, level of education, parental cohabitation and income level.
The state of mind of young women remains more affected than that of young men. But the year 2023 marks “a clear improvement in the morale of young women”. “47% of them now express a positive state of mind, an increase of six points compared to 2022 and nine points compared to 2021,” specifies the report. The barometer also reports figures on the associative commitment of young people in 2023. A quarter of young people say they get involved at least once a month with an association, with sport as the main area of voluntary investment.