Young people in Montenegro face numerous challenges, including limited employment opportunities, insecurity on the labor market and a lack of opportunities for professional development, it was assessed during the presentation of a study on young people organized by the Center for Civic Education (CGO) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). .
As announced by the CGO, the study on young people "Facing insecurities in traditional frameworks" is based on research that included young people aged 14 to 29, while addressing a wide range of topics - from education, employment, through political engagement, social inequality, to the general attitudes of young people about society and their future in Montenegro.
The study is part of a wider FES program through which comprehensive research was carried out in 12 countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece and Turkey, and provides valuable insights into how young people experience social change and imagine their personal futures.
Director of the FES Regional Office for Serbia and Montenegro, Kirsten Schonefeld, said that she hopes that some of the key findings will be instructive in shaping future strategies to address the needs of young people in Montenegro.
She said that the deep impact of economic and political instability on the lives of young people in the 12 countries where the research was conducted is especially striking, along with dissatisfaction with education and limited employment opportunities.
"In Montenegro, young people often face insecure employment and limited opportunities, which are further aggravated by structural problems such as corruption and social inequalities," said Schonefeld.
She emphasized the positive enthusiasm of young people for joining the European Union (EU) in the countries that are on the way to the EU.
The executive director of CGO, Daliborka Uljarević, said that it is often assumed that young people, by definition, are the bearers of innovation, creativity and energy that can transform communities and society as a whole.
She stated that a significant part of young people, due to the wave of re-traditionalization and clericalization, to which they are exposed, are starting to look for support in conservative norms and religion.
"The findings of the study warn of the need for balancing between traditional values and openness to new possibilities and ideas that lead to the progress of society, while providing support for the development of progressive ideas and their promoters among young people," said Uljarević.
She pointed out the importance of research that provides empirical insights into how young people see the society they live in and their future in Montenegro.
The author of the study, Valentina Ostojić, assessed that from the findings, generally speaking, it follows that young people in Montenegro are concerned about the socioeconomic factors of life, such as employment, education and career opportunities, but also that they are extremely conservative.
She said that when it comes to choosing a partner, 72,4 percent of young people point out that family approval is important to them, as well as religious beliefs, that is, the religion of that partner (56,4 percent).
"Also, half of young people cite education, 40 percent ethnic origin, and a quarter cite innocence as an important factor, which further confirms the high level of conservatism of young people in Montenegro," explained Ostojić.
She also pointed out that 71,1 percent of young people are in favor of Montenegro joining the EU, and 17,5 percent are against it, while ten percent of them had no opinion on this issue.
Ostojić stated that the support of the EU does not reflect the inevitable adoption of the values of the Union.
"Although the dominant majority is in favor of EU membership, there is also a high level of intolerance and conservatism towards minorities and "others", which is contradictory to EU policies. In this part, it is clear that young people recognize the socioeconomic advantages of the EU more," said Ostojić.
According to her, young people see problems in the education system.
"Almost two-fifths of them are dissatisfied with the existing quality of education, they are also worried about corruption in education - 55 percent believe that grades can sometimes be "bought" in Montenegro," Ostojić said, adding that among respondents with higher education, the belief about the presence of corruption in education.
She said that many express dissatisfaction with the conditions in the country through the desire to emigrate.
Ostojić said that the data that 45,8 percent of young people have a moderate or strong desire to leave Montenegro is worrying, and that it is most common among master's and doctoral students.
"The reasons are mostly related to living standards and career opportunities, and somewhat less often to educational and cultural opportunities. However, 50,9 percent have a positive view of the future of Montenegro," explained Ostojić.
She indicated that almost half of young people are not interested in politics, and 37,5 percent believe that religious organizations have too much power in society, while 58,7 percent trust their religious organization completely or a lot.
The study showed that over 80 percent of the respondents believe that the wars of the 90s still have a significant impact on the situation and perspectives of young people in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
According to the findings, 36 percent of young people believe that all parties must take responsibility in order to ensure lasting peace in the country, 20 percent believe that this can be solved by economic prosperity, 17,4 percent that the educational system should be strengthened in terms of dealing with the past, while 10,8, XNUMX percent believe that membership in the EU will solve it.
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