Getting a good education and a job are the top priorities for 10 to 24-year-olds, according to the preliminary results of the largest-ever global survey of young people.
More than 700,000 were asked what would improve their wellbeing. About 40% cited education and work, while 21% said safety and 16% good health and nutrition.
The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), which is undertaking the survey, hopes to garner the views of at least 1 million young people before the start of a global forum in October. The forum will be the world’s largest event to date focused on adolescent wellbeing. It follows the launch last year of the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign, a global movement to get young people’s needs translated into policies and investment.
Almost half of the survey respondents (47.2%) so far are aged between 15 and 19. More than two-thirds (68.8%) are from Africa and just over a quarter (27.5%) from south-east Asia. The highest number of respondents came from India (17.2%), Uganda (12%), Indonesia (10.2%) and Zambia (8.4%).
Helga Fogstad, the executive director of the PMNCH, a global alliance for the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents, said the results “underline the extent to which the wider world in which young people are living … has influenced concerns for financial security and the need for skills”.
The world has more young people than at any time in history. However, many of today’s 1.8 billion youth are not reaching their full potential due to the failure of current legislation and investments to meet their needs, said the PMNCH.
In 2022, school closures in low and middle-income countries during the Covid-19 pandemic left up to 70% of 10-year-olds unable to read or understand a simple text – up from 53% before 2020.
Fogstad said she hoped the results of the survey, published on Thursday, would influence policy. “People will be paying with their lives if governments do not become explicit about [what young people need],” she said. “Negative health outcomes will continue.”
The survey is being conducted through face-to-face interviews by young people who have undergone special training, and via WhatsApp. Responses can be registered by scanning a QR code.
Blessing Alims, 21, gathered more than 3,000 responses in Calabar, south-east Nigeria. She said: “It is crucial to listen to young people when making decisions because they can contribute fresh ideas, innovative solutions and diverse perspectives that can help address complex challenges and shape more inclusive and sustainable outcomes.
“Engaging young people will enable us to influence decisions that have an impact on our lives and the future.”
Mahaluxmi Sharma, 21, from Kalka in Haryana, northern India, said: “This experience highlighted the significance of addressing educational gaps and advocating for improved health education for the youth in our community.
“Listening to young people is crucial as our perspectives offer unique insights. We know what we want better than anyone else.”
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