Young people from the Balkans: What do they want and what do they hope for?

They worry about their economic future, and they encounter corruption during their education, they say young sa Balkans in the research of the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

How do they live, what worries and moves them, and what do they hope for - the Friedrich Ebert Foundation asked almost 9.000 young people aged 14 to 29 from twelve Balkan countries: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Turkey, as well as EU members - Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

If the over one hundred page report were to be reduced to a few sentences, then they would be the following: economic stability is most important to young people. Many are ready to sacrifice some civil rights to achieve that goal. Differences in attitudes between young men and women are increasing, while gender inequality to the detriment of women still exists in many areas. And according to young people, corruption is one of the biggest problems in their own country.

Compared to the previous survey (2018) by this foundation close to the SPD, the fear of war, violence and disease has increased significantly. This is not surprising, considering that in the meantime, the corona pandemic happened, that wars broke out in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Unlike their peers in Western Europe, young people from the region are less interested in politics, and are not overly concerned about climate change.

The study also stated that youth in the Balkans are becoming more and more tolerant towards the LGBTQ+ community, but also that they believe that this community has "too many" rights.

The prospect of joining the EU is fueling optimism among young people in many non-EU countries, while pessimism among young people in EU member states is high – and continuing to rise.

Here are some of the results of the study in more detail, with a special emphasis on Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro. In these countries, pessimism has grown everywhere, but especially drastically in Croatia, an EU member - while in the previous survey 11,3 percent believed that the situation in the country would worsen, now even 46,1 percent of young people think so.

Bad grades for education

When asked to what extent they are generally satisfied with education, only about a quarter of young people in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina answered positively. In those countries, there is a noticeable decrease in satisfaction compared to 2018. Young Croats are slightly more satisfied (38,4 percent) and this is continuously so.

Young people in the region encounter corruption for the first time already during their schooling. The numbers speak for themselves: from 60 percent of young people in Montenegro to 77 percent in Bosnia and Herzegovina believe that grades or exams are bought or sold at universities in their country.

Fear of unemployment - although it is not so dark

When it comes to unemployment, the authors of the study state that real unemployment is lower than what young people perceive it to be - therefore, they see the situation as worse than it is. However, the gender gap in the unemployment rate is worrying: young women are more likely to be unemployed than young men.

The fear of unemployment is quite present and is also slightly more pronounced among women (54 percent) and among young people in urban areas. At the same time, young people with higher education are more likely to worry about unemployment. This fear is particularly widespread in Bosnia and Herzegovina (68 percent).

Šthat is the keyčbut for employment?

Young people from almost all countries of the region believe that connections with people in positions of power and party affiliation are important factors for getting a job, especially in non-EU countries.

Thus, young people in BiH (57 percent) and Serbia (48 percent) believe that these are key factors. In Montenegro, there is a difference: 34,7 percent believe that party membership is important, and 44,7 percent believe that it is connections. In Croatia, connections are also clearly more important (54,5 percent) than party membership (42,1 percent).

However, expertise in a particular field also proved to be a key factor. In Montenegro, 63,2 percent of young people say this, in Croatia almost 60 percent, in Bosnia and Herzegovina almost 50 percent, and in Serbia the least - only 46 percent.

Having a job, but insecure and not in the profession

Precarious and inappropriate employment prevails as a form of work among young people. Many are trapped in low-paying jobs, and while most are working in positions consistent with their formal education, there is a notable decline in this trend compared to previous research.

In Croatia, the share of young people working in a job for which they are overqualified increased from 17,5 to 28 percent, which is the lowest rate in the four countries that we have singled out here. In Serbia, the percentage of such young people was and remains the highest, although it was the only country where it decreased compared to 2018.

Increasingly popular: goćand abroad and return to the homeland

In all countries of the region, regardless of whether they are members of the EU or not, readiness for migration has increased compared to the previous survey in 2018.

More than 25 percent of young people in the region indicate a strong tendency to emigrate. At the same time, there is a big difference between EU member countries and those that are not, but not when we take a closer look at the results in the four countries that we singled out. Thus, the highest percentage of young people who "very, very" and "moderately" want to move out of the country is the highest in BiH (68 percent), followed by Serbia (58 percent), and then in Croatia (51 percent), while the smallest in Montenegro with 48 percent.

The study distinguishes between permanent migration and circular migration, that is, when young people plan to return to their homeland. Circular migration is more popular in EU member countries than in non-member countries, but even there this form of migration is becoming more common.

On the other hand, the number of young people who aspire to permanent relocation is decreasing.

Economic and political reasons are the main motivations for permanent relocation, while academic and cultural reasons encourage short-term stays abroad.

Support for democracy is declining - strongđand it is not to be rejected

Although the majority of young people still support democratic values, trust in democracy has declined significantly.

Paradoxically, almost half of the young people who say they strongly support democracy are open to the idea of ​​a strong authoritarian leader.

Bearing in mind Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro, such a leader is most approved in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Authoritarian tendencies in the entire region are also reflected in the fact that 35 percent of respondents would give up civil rights for a higher standard of living, while 40 percent believe that civil rights should sometimes be limited in the interest of security.

Ethnonationalism – versus multiethnicčof the community

Although generally in decline, ethno-nationalism remains widespread, especially among young men. It is one of the biggest threats to democracies in the region.

The term "ethnonationalism" refers to forms of nationalism that consider ethnicity and ethnic ties as key components of the understanding and experience of the "nation".

A statistically significant increase in ethno-nationalism occurred in North Macedonia, Montenegro (from 2,4 to 2,6) and Slovenia, while it remained at a high level in Turkey, Albania and Kosovo (3,3). In Serbia, ethno-nationalism is constant at a value of 2,6, while in Croatia it is (2,7), and in BiH it has decreased significantly and with a score of 2,1, it is the lowest of the four countries that we have singled out in this text.