Respondents blame COVID-19 pandemic
The findings of a survey conducted by the Macao New Chinese Youth Association (MNCYA) show that among 665 local youngsters, 72 percent said that it was now more difficult for the young generation to achieve upward social mobility compared to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic year of 2019, with 19 percent saying that the difficulty of gaining upward social mobility has “greatly” increased.
Sociology defines upward social mobility as the movement of an individual, social group, or class to a position of increased status or power in civil society.
Macau confirmed its first COVID-19 case in January 2020.
A statement by the association on Monday quoted the respondents as believing that they had not experienced upward mobility saying that it was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a lack of connections and Macau’s undiversified industrial structure.
The street survey was carried in October, when the association collected 665 valid questionnaires at random from local residents aged between 18 and 34 who had working experience, including full-time, part-time and internship.
The association hosted a press conference on Monday at its office on Avenida do Almirante Lacerda to present the findings of the “Macau Youth Social Mobility Survey 2022”.
The findings show that 48 percent of the respondents said that they had had insufficient opportunities for upward mobility, which was higher than the association’s two similar surveys conducted in 2019 and 2021 of 23.0 percent and 32.7 percent respectively, indicating the apparent impact of COVID-19 on young people’s upward mobility.
According to the findings, 63 percent of the respondents agreed that in-depth integration between the mainland and Macau would bring them more development opportunities, while another 63 percent said they believed that competition with non-local talents would improve their abilities.
About their expected social mobility situation in the next five years, the statement pointed out that over 42 percent had an optimistic attitude, while one-third said they believed that their social class would remain the same. However, only 17 percent said they believed that they would experience downward mobility.
The findings noted that 56 percent of the respondents said that “improving professional skills” was the top choice for upward mobility, followed by “connections”, and “academic degrees”.
The statement pointed out that as Macau is facing a critical juncture of its industrial transformation, the association urged the government to increase investment in education awards and bursaries, special scholarships for master’s and doctoral degree students in particular, to strengthen the young generation’s support to obtain academic degrees, while setting up “special funds” to encourage local youngsters to obtain professional certificates as well.
This handout photo provided by the Macao New Chinese Youth Association (MNCYA) shows its three representatives posing during Monday’s press conference about the “Macau Youth Social Mobility Survey 2022”, at its office on Avenida do Almirante Lacerda.
