08.04.2022
43% OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY WOULD START THEIR OWN BUSINESS IF THERE WERE NO OBSTACLES
43% of young people in Bulgaria would start their own business, 35% would invest in their own home, and nearly a third (31%) are willing to take the road if they do not have any limiting factors at the moment. This is shown by the online survey Generation nova of Ipsos commissioned by Huawei Consumer Business Group Bulgaria. It was held between March 23 and 28 this year among 300 young people aged 16 to 25.
According to him, the main motivator at work for 43% of young people in this age group is high pay. This applies to 27% of people between the ages of 16 and 19 and to more than half of those aged 20-25.
For almost a third, the key factor is a good work-life balance, and 30 percent are looking for good working conditions. Given the pandemic trends, flexible working hours and the ability to work from home are important for 28% of those surveyed. Young people are looking for more freedom in this regard, and as many as 23% are adamant that the motivator for them is the non-stressful atmosphere of work. The latter is more true for those living in large cities with a population of over 100,000. Only 7 percent are looking for an employer who supports causes with a positive impact on the community and the environment, and in general the survey shows that at this stage young people in Bulgaria are not so excited about causes.
The role of money
When asked what money is for them, 44% say it is a way to protect the family's future. This answer prevails among girls. 41% believe that money allows a person to enjoy the good things in life, and 37% see them as a fair reward for their work.
Despite the demand for higher wages, wealth is not among the main priorities of young people in the long run. A quarter of the respondents say that the most important thing for them is family happiness. This response is more common in women (31%) than in men (19%). Amid growing uncertainty over the war in Ukraine, with Covid-19 making life more expensive due to accelerating inflation and the energy crisis, 22% of those surveyed said security and quiet living were top priorities. Here, those in the age group of 20 to 25 years predominate. 15 percent have chosen career development, which is the result of personal satisfaction, and only 7% consider wealth to be the most important.
Only 6 percent of respondents mentioned maintaining friendships as the most important, but in terms of their preferences, they hold face-to-face communication (57%), and 12% feel more comfortable in online communication. 31% think that communication in both ways is the most adequate for them.
Youth and technology
According to the study, young people spend an average of 3.7 hours a day on social networks. 36% indicated that they stay on the platforms for 3 to 4 hours, and 21% for 5 to 6 hours. 6 percent are those who spend more than 8 hours on social networks, while 1% are adamant that they do not use social networks.
60% believe that the use of technology helps them take care of themselves, and 17% are of the opposite opinion. 23% cannot judge. For 62% of respondents, technology helps them stay in shape or play sports. To this end, they use mobile applications to support diet or exercise, and 63% say that modern technology makes life easier and easier to lead a healthy lifestyle.
However, young people also see limitations stemming from the technologies they use. For 52% of them, technology can destroy personal freedom. However, 48% believe that technology will make their lives easier in the future.
Inspiration and a look into the future
Expectations for the future of young people are not so optimistic. As many as 55% of respondents say that the world is getting worse, and girls are more inclined to think in this direction. 26 percent believe that the world has moved in a better direction, and the rest can not judge.
The main things that inspire young people in Bulgaria are nature, music, family, art, sports, hobbies, love, books, movies, travel, but there are answers such as money, god, politics and faith.
For 48% of the participants in the study, family is the most important. It has a significant advantage over love (13%) and pleasures in life/happiness (8%). 5% of the respondents said that freedom and independence, financial well-being, friends and personal development, prestige are the most important for them. The connection with nature remains in the background by only 1%, as is the result of education, art and belonging to a community/cause.
The study also shows that young people in the capital are more adaptable to changes in the world and are more likely to take into account the obligations before the pleasures. At the same time, they strive to develop their personal qualities related to self-confidence, public expression and others. For them, money is more of an opportunity to enjoy the good things in life. Young people living in Sofia are reluctant to judge people by the brands they wear and own. For them, travel would be what they would do if they had no limits in front of them.
Over 50% of the young people in our country accept and respect mainly the Bulgarian traditions and values. Against the background of all the uncertainty of the last two years, less than half are willing to take risks. Women are the ones who tend to take on more challenges, while men value security more.
Although the topic of climate change is present in the public space in the world as one of the major problems facing humanity, young people in Bulgaria are not yet ripe for this idea. According to them, there are more important issues that need to be resolved. In the current context, belonging to common causes is not important for 16-25 year olds.
