Editorial notice:
During the last year in the frames of the project �the Youth for Kazakstan�s Future� The GLOBE carried out research concerning the problems of modern young people (see The Globe ##30(249), 42(260), 100-1 (318-319)).
We studied a wide range of issues:
� Is Kazakstan a free state? What mass media do the young people of Kazakstan consider most credible?
� Is it possible to get success our republic? What shall one do for it?
� Are Kazakstan�s young people interested in politics? Who will be the next president of the republic?
� �Fathers� and �Children� students� opinion. What do they think about unregistered marriages? How do they see a family and why do the people divorce?
Here it is an article of the Institute for Economic Research, carrying out analogous researches in 1997-1998 simultaneously with us.
Galina Myakenkaya,
Liana Umyarova,
Tatyana Makhovikova,
Anna Shishkina
Almaty, Jan. 31
(The Institute for Economic Research specially for the Globe)
According to the National Statistics Agency there are 4,38 million of citizens aged between 16 and 29 (the youth) and constituting 27, 6% of the total population of the republic in Kazakstan. Rural population makes 1,94 million and urban � 2,44 million people. It is natural that such a large group of the same age and interests, being potential rulers of the country, lives in certain realities and is being formed under the influence of these very realities.
Social and Demographic
characteristics of respondents:
To make average teen-ager�s characteristic the Institute for Economic Research proposes its own variant of segment analysis concerning the life and the rest of young people. The age category included (450 people) basically pupils and students, due to the reason that it was easier to have them together during their studies.
� 78 % - students of universities, in contrast to the last year research, where this category made only 69,3 %;
� 22 % - last-grade students of secondary schools (18, 5%);
� 1 % working young people (12, 2 %);
� 63 % of respondents are women, 65,5 % are in the charge of their parents, 29, 4 have never been married, while 3,6 % have their own families.
Working activities
In Almaty, the largest city of the republic the problem of labor territorial division is the most obvious. However the city does not reveal all the problems of young people. For example the problem of unemployment is more dramatic in rural regions of the country, though the level of unemployment among young people in the republic is rather high � 5, 7%. Young people make 35 % of the total number of citizens, registered by employment centers. This very figure makes one think over the issue why young and energetic people are unable to find work. Having examined supply and demand for labor resources in Almaty we came to conclusion that currently they need specialists for small and medium business enterprises. They should be able to provide certain information, get in touch with the directorship, type documents etc. To meet these requirements it is enough to have secondary education and to attend 2-3 week computer courses. On the other hand the labor market is short of high-qualified specialists, speaking one or more foreign languages and trained abroad. The demand for specialists between these two layers of just a little educated and highly educated people is very low.
Asked what for they needed education, most people (81, 8 %) told they needed it to get financial independence and respectability. 12, 9 % wanted to further continue their education and only 0,9 % said that they did not wish to study, as education was unnecessary for them. 4, 4% were difficult to answer the question.
Absolute majority of young people wants their work to bring considerable income and be prestigious. As in the previous year the professions of lawyers, bankers, economists, managers, businessmen, journalists and translators are the most popular among the young people.
Plans for the future
In 1998 the number of young people striving to bring their plans in life on their own became smaller. If in 1997 such respondents made 72, 6 %, currently they make only 52 %. 29 % of respondents count on the help from aside, 10 % are not sure about realization of their plans, 8, 9% think that their perspectives depend on the future of the society.
Under difficult social and economic conditions, it is not surprising that the number of people, looking to the future with optimism reduced from 62, 3 % to 54, 1 %, while the number of those concerned about their future fate increased from 33, 1 % to 38, 8 %. 4,2 % (1,7 %) gave away to despair about their perspectives, 2, 9 % were difficult to give their opinion.
Reforms carried out by Kazakstan�s government concern every citizen of the republic. Let�s see what they gave to the young generation?
27, 2 % answered that the reforms taught them to be more independent, 26 % became more responsible regarding their future carrier, 18,3 % obtained possibility of entering the universities they wanted to enter thanks to payable education introduction, 18, 3 % began to cherish their time. 12 % think that reforms opened the world for them, 9, 1 % think that reforms �plunged them into cold water�, 4,9 % think that they obtained stable material situation thanks to reforms conducted.
The young generation is coming back to the origins. Currently the number of those believing in the Supreme Being increased by 3, 5% as compared to the previous year. If 10 years ago one may think that it was just a tribute to fashion, today it is clear that people become real believers. It is interesting that the answers on the question what makes them feel fear differ a lot from those given in 1997. The results are given in the table 2.
*more than one answer was admissible in the 98� survey.
This year we included the question what they think about their early sexual life in the survey. The answers were practically the same as in the previous year: 37, 4 % had a negative attitude, 37, 2 % showed indifference and 24, 1 % thought it was OK. Most probably modern young people solved problematic issues how to know unknown, become older and differ from others. An information flow on this issue as well as more-than-easy access to such kind of information made them more equal and thoughtful.
Instead of conclusion:
Here it is a portrait of an average teen-ager: a university student, 17, striving to continue education to work for the sake of money. He optimistically hopes to obtain education at the expense of sponsors in the powerful country. However, today the reforms made him more independent and think over his future carrier, as well as appreciate intellect, understanding and sincerity in people, love and believe in the Supreme Being.
They strongly desire to get good knowledge, which would allow finding a well-paid job and they readily study six days a week and 6-8 hours a day, without having practically any free time. However, in case they have any, they prefer to spend it for reading, communicating with friends and watching news, most preferably in separate apartments.
Translation �INSEL A.B.