The results of a survey conducted by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) to collect data on the current state of youth development show that young people’s level of patriotism is “generally high”.
The findings were released in a DSEDJ statement yesterday.
The survey, called Macau Youth Indicators, has been commissioned by the bureau and carried out every two years since 2008, with the latest survey conducted between September and November last year covering 10 areas and 45 indicators in areas such as marriage and family, physical and mental health, and education.
A total of 2,376 valid questionnaires were collected. The survey was conducted through street interviews and online questionnaires. The respondents comprised local youths aged 13 to 35 from schools, public and private entities and civil society.
The findings show that local youths generally have positive social values, identify with and respect the nation’s institutions and culture, and care about the development of their society.
The findings also show that, on a scale of 5, local youths’ satisfaction with public security, education and public recreation and sports facilities was the highest, with a maximum score of 3.69, while the lowest satisfaction level was in the areas of transport, economic diversification and housing, with an average score of less than 2.7.
The survey results show that the top three sources of stress for the young people surveyed are work, their financial situation and health, with an average resilience score of 3.51, reflecting a certain degree of stress resistance.
When the survey was being conducted, nearly 20 percent of the respondents had children who expected more support from the government and learning resources concerning the character education and emotional management of their children. They also said they would like the government to provide more training and parent-child activities to meet the needs of parenting education.
The report about the findings recommends that young people should be made aware of their online presence and their online literacy and critical thinking should be strengthened, especially their awareness of fraud prevention, and more arrangements should be made for young people to attend government consultation or youth affairs-related meetings to enhance their political participation.
In terms of participation in social affairs, nearly 40 percent of the young people interviewed were members of local associations, and nearly half of them had participated in associations’ management or activities in the past six months.
Macau Youth Indicators logo downloaded from the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSDJ) official website yesterday
