Flash Eurobarometer on Youth and Democracy: Romanian youngsters are increasingly involved in society

Most Romanian youngsters (61%) are currently active in the societies in which they live and participated in the activities of one or several youth organizations in the past twelve month, shows an Flash Eurobarometer on Youth and Democracy published on Friday.The European Flash Eurobarometer on Youth and Democracy was conducted between 22 February and 4 March 2022, with the European Year of Youth in full swing, at the end of the Conference on the future of Europe - where youth played a crucial part - allowing to take stock of the sentiment among the young generation.Most Romanian youngsters want to be listened more carefully by the decision-makers in the European Youth Year 2022 and to see their initiatives materialize, to get more support in their personal, social and professional development (76%).The European Commission is also launching a new online tool, the 'Voice your Vision' platform, to make it easier for young Europeans to make their voice heard. Furthermore, policy dialogues between Members of the College and young people are organised in the framework of the Year of Youth. They give a unique opportunity to young people to get direct access to decision-makers and express face to face their vision and ideas on all policy areas.Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has reinforced young people's conviction that preserving peace, reinforcing international security and promoting international cooperation is the very first objective of the EU (37%). The next highest expectations are for the EU to increase job opportunities for young people (33%), fight poverty and economic and social inequalities (32%) as well as to promote environmentally friendly policies and fight climate change (31%).Young people see mental and physical health and wellbeing (34%), protecting the environment and fighting climate change (34%) but also education and training, including the free movement of learners (33%) as the focus areas for the European Year of Youth.Despite the pandemic, the survey shows an increase in transnational youth mobility compared to 2019, reflecting the strong willingness to re-connect between young people across borders. About four in ten young people (39%) have participated in a professional, volunteering, learning or sporting activity in another EU country, compared to just over three in ten (31%) in 2019. The lack of financial means remains a key reason for non-participation in mobility projects, although the financial obstacle is declining (36% compared to 42% in 2019).The Commission also launched a new online tool, which will be a central element of the European Year of Youth. On the 'Voice your Vision' platform, Europeans can record their opinions and ideas for the future of the European project. They can touch upon any issue of importance to them, from employment, inclusion, peace and security, to climate change, education, mental health, and more. The 'Voice your Vision' platform lives up to the European Year of Youth's ambition of giving young people the means to contribute to public debate and decision-making.The Flash Eurobarometer survey 502 'Youth and Democracy in the European Year of Youth' was carried out between 22 February and 4 March 2022, targeting a representative sample of 26,178 young people aged 15 to 30 in the 27 Member States and was commissioned by the Commission. The survey was conducted through computer-assisted. web interviewing (CAWI).