Latvian youth has begun to look to the future with great optimism. This is shown by the data from a new survey, according to which about half of the young generation predicts an improvement in the economic situation in the country over the next five years. At the same time, they are significantly concerned about the rising cost of living in the shorter term, reports TV3 News.
Researchers at the University of Latvia have been publishing a separate analysis for the fourth year in addition to the traditional "Economic Barometer," focusing on how young people aged 16 to 29 perceive economic processes in the country.
The scientists acknowledge that, overall, young people have a sober assessment of the economic reality and do not express absurd judgments. Regarding the next 12 months, opinions among representatives of the younger generation are divided, but nearly 30% believe that the economic situation in the country will worsen.
However, in the longer-term – five-year – perspective, about half of those surveyed expect the situation to improve. The highest level of optimism has been recorded in the last four years since the relevant research has been conducted.
The dynamics in the perception of emigration trends among young people have also improved, although nearly half still believe that emigration from Latvia may increase over the next year. Currently, the rapid inflation of recent years is putting a serious strain on wallets.
"As we know, even at the EU level, Ms. von der Leyen has named reducing the cost of living as one of the priorities. Young people are precisely the group that starts families. If the cost of living is high, it can negatively affect the demographic situation. This is especially important in Latvia," noted Juris Priede, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Latvia.
Young people do not yet earn as much as older generations, but they buy groceries at the same prices and look for housing in the same real estate market. As a result, their salary expectations have sharply increased.
If a year or two ago, young people indicated in surveys that they would like to receive "net" around 1600 euros after graduation, now the amount is approaching 2000 euros.
Of course, the desired salary and the actual one are not the same. The latter indicator, as noted, is difficult to ascertain in sociology.
"In Latvia, there are two topics that do not work in surveys. The first is sex, intimate life. It turns out that in other countries, this is not such a big problem. The second is income. If you ask people if they feel comfortable answering honestly, they say: 'No. Just don’t ask us about that!,'" clarified Arnis Kaktins, Director of the SKDS Research Center.
Young people were also asked what they would recommend to the government to make this generation feel confident about the future. Among the responses were the quality of education, job opportunities, and salary levels.
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