site.btaYoung Bulgarians Increasingly Reluctant to Emigrate - Survey
NW 17:05:01 12-03-2019
LN1710NW.111
111 POLITICS - YOUNG PEOPLE - SURVEY amplified
Young Bulgarians Increasingly
Reluctant to Emigrate -
Survey
Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - The desire of young Bulgarians to emigrate is waning, shows a nationwide survey called Bulgarian Youth 2018/2019, which was unveiled by Associate Professor Boris Popivanov of the Ivan Hadjiiski Institute of Sociology at a BTA-hosted news conference on Tuesday.
Some 61 per cent of respondents in the survey say they do not plan to emigrate, Popivanov said. The social structure of emigrant groups is changing, with the outflow of low-skilled youth increasing ever more rapidly. Bulgaria's brain drain is more like a "brawn drain," Popivanov noted.
Practically all young Bulgarian migrants leave their country for financial reasons. They do so in search of higher incomes and better opportunities for their children, the survey shows.
Back in the 1990s, Bulgarian migrants preferred to move to the United States or Canada, but now 42 per cent of those who want to emigrate name Germany as a preferred destination and 32 per cent name the United Kingdom. The European labour market is viewed as an opportunity to seize. Some 42 per cent of prospective emigrants say they have received an invitation from Bulgarians living abroad, Popivanov said.
Young Bulgarians have a very low interest in politics, according to the survey. Only 7 per cent of respondents say they read and watch the news. The participation of young people in political parties is disturbingly low. Generally, they do not feel represented in politics, Popivanov noted.
Only 14 per cent of those polled admit that their political views differ from their parents' views. This is a sign of political conformism and growing youth conservatism. Europe is a model for young Bulgarians. In Europe they see everything they consider to be of value but do not find in Bulgaria. To them, Europe is the change that never happened in Bulgaria, Popivanov commented.
About 62 per cent of young people in Bulgaria identify with democracy, but the conviction that a strong-hand government is necessary is shared by a growing number of youths. As for the traditional opposition between left and right, only 7 per cent of young people in Bulgaria consider themselves leftist and 24 per cent describe themselves as rightist. Still, a very large share of young Bulgarians identify with leftist values as regards welfare and incomes.
Relaxation and loafing for recreation
According to the study, the choice of "activity" for the free time of young people in Bulgaria is relaxing and loafing. One in five of them does not read at all and one in four never engage in sports.
Young people in Bulgaria are avid shoppers. Nearly one in four shop every day and the frequency of shopping does not depend on their financial means.
The survey shows that the two activities which are most widely present in the daily life of young people are listening to music and spending time with the family.
Slightly over one-third of Bulgaria's youth spend various amounts of time for creative activities including writing, drawing and playing an instrument.
Cell phones and cars are no longer luxury items for young Bulgarians, even among people in the ghettos, commented Gallup International Director Purvan Simeonov. He said smartphones are not considered a commodity but a means of access to identity.
Simeonov also said the survey has found persistent dissatisfaction among young people with the education they have received, when they enter the labour market.
Also, young Bulgarians continue to tend to delay moving out of their parents' home, and planning to marry and have children translate into action late in life.
The study shows that sexual abstinence before marriage is considered a virtue by 15 per cent of young Bulgarians, down from 31 per cent in 2014.
Summarizing the findings of the study, prof. Emil Mitev of the Ivan Hadjiiski Institute said that the topmost value for young Bulgarians is freedom and this is followed by wealth. He said this goes to show that the transition has been completed in Bulgaria and young people are aware of that, for freedom is the core of democracy and wealth is the motor of market economy.
Differences between young men and women no longer play an essential role and the study shows that the emancipation of women has come to its final phase, Prof. Mitev said. In his opinion, young women have the same self-confidence as men. Also, women read twice as much as men, study more and have more aspirations for higher education.
The survey was carried out in 2018 by the Gallup International polling agency with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. It was part of an international research project covering 10 countries of Southeastern Europe. The survey was aimed to identify, describe and analyze young people's moods and behavioural patterns in contemporary society. LY/VE/BR//
LN1710NW.111
111 POLITICS - YOUNG PEOPLE - SURVEY amplified
Young Bulgarians Increasingly
Reluctant to Emigrate -
Survey
Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - The desire of young Bulgarians to emigrate is waning, shows a nationwide survey called Bulgarian Youth 2018/2019, which was unveiled by Associate Professor Boris Popivanov of the Ivan Hadjiiski Institute of Sociology at a BTA-hosted news conference on Tuesday.
Some 61 per cent of respondents in the survey say they do not plan to emigrate, Popivanov said. The social structure of emigrant groups is changing, with the outflow of low-skilled youth increasing ever more rapidly. Bulgaria's brain drain is more like a "brawn drain," Popivanov noted.
Practically all young Bulgarian migrants leave their country for financial reasons. They do so in search of higher incomes and better opportunities for their children, the survey shows.
Back in the 1990s, Bulgarian migrants preferred to move to the United States or Canada, but now 42 per cent of those who want to emigrate name Germany as a preferred destination and 32 per cent name the United Kingdom. The European labour market is viewed as an opportunity to seize. Some 42 per cent of prospective emigrants say they have received an invitation from Bulgarians living abroad, Popivanov said.
Young Bulgarians have a very low interest in politics, according to the survey. Only 7 per cent of respondents say they read and watch the news. The participation of young people in political parties is disturbingly low. Generally, they do not feel represented in politics, Popivanov noted.
Only 14 per cent of those polled admit that their political views differ from their parents' views. This is a sign of political conformism and growing youth conservatism. Europe is a model for young Bulgarians. In Europe they see everything they consider to be of value but do not find in Bulgaria. To them, Europe is the change that never happened in Bulgaria, Popivanov commented.
About 62 per cent of young people in Bulgaria identify with democracy, but the conviction that a strong-hand government is necessary is shared by a growing number of youths. As for the traditional opposition between left and right, only 7 per cent of young people in Bulgaria consider themselves leftist and 24 per cent describe themselves as rightist. Still, a very large share of young Bulgarians identify with leftist values as regards welfare and incomes.
Relaxation and loafing for recreation
According to the study, the choice of "activity" for the free time of young people in Bulgaria is relaxing and loafing. One in five of them does not read at all and one in four never engage in sports.
Young people in Bulgaria are avid shoppers. Nearly one in four shop every day and the frequency of shopping does not depend on their financial means.
The survey shows that the two activities which are most widely present in the daily life of young people are listening to music and spending time with the family.
Slightly over one-third of Bulgaria's youth spend various amounts of time for creative activities including writing, drawing and playing an instrument.
Cell phones and cars are no longer luxury items for young Bulgarians, even among people in the ghettos, commented Gallup International Director Purvan Simeonov. He said smartphones are not considered a commodity but a means of access to identity.
Simeonov also said the survey has found persistent dissatisfaction among young people with the education they have received, when they enter the labour market.
Also, young Bulgarians continue to tend to delay moving out of their parents' home, and planning to marry and have children translate into action late in life.
The study shows that sexual abstinence before marriage is considered a virtue by 15 per cent of young Bulgarians, down from 31 per cent in 2014.
Summarizing the findings of the study, prof. Emil Mitev of the Ivan Hadjiiski Institute said that the topmost value for young Bulgarians is freedom and this is followed by wealth. He said this goes to show that the transition has been completed in Bulgaria and young people are aware of that, for freedom is the core of democracy and wealth is the motor of market economy.
Differences between young men and women no longer play an essential role and the study shows that the emancipation of women has come to its final phase, Prof. Mitev said. In his opinion, young women have the same self-confidence as men. Also, women read twice as much as men, study more and have more aspirations for higher education.
The survey was carried out in 2018 by the Gallup International polling agency with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. It was part of an international research project covering 10 countries of Southeastern Europe. The survey was aimed to identify, describe and analyze young people's moods and behavioural patterns in contemporary society. LY/VE/BR//
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