73.2% of Spaniards think youth after the pandemic will be worse off than their parents. This was shown in a study published by the Spanish Centre for Sociological Research (CIS).
Before the pandemic, ‘only’ 48.9% of Spaniards thought young people would be worse off than their parents. Moreover, the number of people who predict their future will improve has fallen sharply. Before the pandemic 28.9% foresaw improvement, not it is 8.5%.
Second class citizens
Statistics show youth in Spain face inequality and problems. In fact, 54.2% of those surveyed believe young people are considered “second class citizens with worse positions and opportunities than their parents and older people”. Of this 54.2%, almost half (47.4%) attributed this to the ‘lack of job opportunities, stable and quality jobs’. A further 15.9% felt ‘young people do not have opportunities’. Only one third of respondents (32%) believe young people are ‘first class’ citizens.
69.7% of respondents see the labour market as the biggest problem young people face as a result of the pandemic. They mention negative aspects such as the lack of jobs, insecurity and low wages. To a much lesser extent, is the belief the increase in stress or pandemic fatigue due to health and economic problems in their personal environment (6.2%).
Spanish youth
The majority of those polled think young Spaniards have a harder time of it than young people in similar countries. 58.4% of those surveyed believe the economic and social situation of young Spaniards is worse. Meanwhile 30.9% think it is ‘almost the same’. Only 1.7% see a better situation for young Spaniards.
Role of the government
82% believe the government ‘is not currently doing enough to support and help young people’. Of those, 49.4% think governments should ‘offer more help in finding work’ and 47.3% think they should improve ‘working conditions and support’.
On the attitudes of young people during the pandemic, 67% say they have little or no agreement with the fact ‘young people only thought about drinking and partying’. 84.4% are positive the majority of young people ‘followed the anti-virus protocols in schools, colleges and universities’.
Tackling poverty
Seven out of ten Spaniards are in favour of ‘the rich paying more taxes so that the government has more resources to fight poverty urgently’.
In terms of tackling child poverty, 96.9% of Spaniards think ‘the employability of parents should be encouraged’. 95.5% say ‘extra educational support should be given to children who need it’. And 94.1% point to the need to ‘provide more food aid to families with few economic resources’. The high price of housing is a very or fairly important cause of poverty for 89.5%. 45% believe the fight against poverty should be tackled by the state.
