Executive Summary
New analysis of panel survey data collected in 11 countries via the Infra4NextGen project focused on attitudes on education, employment and family values.
The data was collected via the CRONOS-3 panel survey in order to provide evidence to support European policymaking aimed at supporting young people.
The report investigated whether young people experience the same or better opportunities than previous generations when it comes to education and employment.
Specifically, it focuses on the perceived fairness of educational opportunities, attitudes towards education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), vocational education and training, educational and employment opportunities and the importance of family and marriage.
The data found that those aged under 35 had a more negative perception of fairness in education than those over 35. In addition, the data also found that under 35s were more interested in learning about entrepreneurship and financial competency and were more likely to value independence as a reason to start their own business.
By contrast, when it came to vocational education and training, under 35s and over 35s gave broadly similar reasons for pursuing it, with both groups ranking improving job opportunities and acquiring practical skills as the top motivations.
There was also a large gender gap when it came to interest in STEM careers, with a much larger proportion of women having no interest in a STEM career. Furthermore, there was a large increase in the number of under 35s declaring a job-education mismatch than over 35s, suggesting difficulty in finding suitable entry level positions.
Finally, family life remained important to all cohorts, but a much lower proportion of under 35s value getting married and having children than older people, suggesting a policy challenge for decision makers due to a shrinking population.
