A survey carried out by UNICEF and Gallup found that teenagers from 21 countries are more optimistic than adults about the future. The study compares the vision of young people aged 15 to 24 with that of adults over 40 years of age.
Asked if the world is becoming a better place for each new generation, 57% of teenagers and young people said yes, while only 39% of adults said yes.
In the case of Brazil, optimism is the second lowest, only behind Mali in West Africa. Only 31% of Brazilian teenagers and young people, and 19% of adults, believe that the world is improving.
In an interview with CNN Radio, UNICEF representative in Brazil, Florence Bauer, highlighted that the new generation “suffers more from mental health impacts than adults” worldwide, but even more strongly in the country.
According to Florence, one of the explanations for the lower optimism of Brazilians may be the pandemic: “In Brazil, we found that optimism is lower than that compared to other countries, but we have to take into account that the survey took place during the peak of pandemic, which influences, it was a strong situation.”
The UNICEF representative also highlighted that young people, according to the survey, are concerned with “a series of issues”, such as climate change.
“It’s a generation at the same time concerned with a series of global issues and that wants to be part of the solution, they want to be heard for the measures to be taken for the future.”
The expert also said that “young people see education and work as the key to success, and this is even stronger in Brazil than in other countries.”
The interviews were carried out between February and June 2021. In Brazil, they were carried out between the 23rd of February and the 17th of April.
Reference: CNN Brasil
