The morale of 18-30 year olds is on the rise again after two years of Covid-19 marked by a loss of social ties, a deterioration in mental health and slower professional integration, according to a study published on Tuesday, September 27.
The annual survey by Injep (National Institute for Youth and Popular Education) and Crédoc (Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions) points to a “renewed optimism linked to the recovery of the labor market and the return to normal life“.
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The year 2022 is characterized by a more positive state of mind than in 2021 (48% of young people questioned use a positive lexical register, +2 points) and above all a clear “decrease in negative expressions”: 33% of respondents say they are in a negative state of mind in 2022, compared to 45% last year. 19% say they are “neutral“, which translates, according to the study, “a form of wait-and-see attitude linked to a context of successive crises“. Another sign of improvement in the morale of young people, 66% of 18-30 year olds say theyconfident in their personal future for the next three years“. An increase of 6 points compared to last year.
The study also notes a strengthening of the commitment of young people, in the context of an election year. The volunteer participation of 18-30 year olds has notably reached its highest level since 2016, with 21% of young people who say they give a few hours of their time, every week, to NGOs, political parties, or other organizations. However, young women are not regaining their pre-crisis morale, and have been more affected than young men by the psychological consequences of the pandemic, according to the study.
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In 2022, 41% of young women surveyed say they are in a “positive state of mind“, i.e. 6 points less than in 2020, compared to 57% of young men, 1 point less than in 2020. The study also notes the “persistence of a feeling of loneliness“:”36% of young people feel lonely from time to time“, an increase of 5 points compared to the pre-pandemic period. The survey was carried out online from March 14 to April 28, 2022, with a representative sample of 4,512 young people aged 18 to 30 residing in France, selected using the quota method.