KABUL (SW) – According to a recent survey conducted by Salam Watandar in Afghanistan, a significant portion of the youth population remains hopeful about their future, with 60.3% expressing optimism about their lives moving forward. However, a notable 39.7% of young individuals, reported feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty about what lies ahead.
Statement
It is believed that hope empowers people to keep moving forward, helping them work toward making their lives better. However, various factors such as social welfare, growth opportunities, a stable economy, employment prospects, and security within a society influence an individual’s optimism about their future.
Having hope, as a positive mental state and motivator, can help in overcoming life’s challenges. This study explores the level of optimism among young people in Afghanistan regarding their future life. The survey reveals that some young people are hopeful about their future for various reasons, while others feel discouraged.
The optimism of youths has diverse impacts both on an individual’s life and society. At the highest level, it contributes to societal dynamism and progress, while at the lowest, it can lead to stagnation. Ultimately, hope serves as a source of motivation and empowerment, but it requires sound policymaking and planning to improve living conditions and create more opportunities for young people. Given the importance of youths optimism for societal welfare, this research seeks to evaluate young people’s perspectives on their future.
Background
Recent political changes in Afghanistan, combined with restrictions on work and education, have made women particularly vulnerable compared to men. The removal of many men from government institutions has contributed to a sense of hopelessness among some young people, while others continue to remain optimistic despite the ongoing limitations.
Over 67% of Afghanistan’s population consists of youths, many of whom lack proper access to education and career opportunities.
This research targeted both male and female youths to assess their level of hope for the future.
Several media outlets had conducted similar surveys before the political upheavals in Afghanistan, but no research had been done in the past three years on this subject. Therefore, Salam Watandar conducted and analyzed a survey across the country, breaking down the results by gender.
Main questions
- What percentage of youths are hopeful about their future?
- What factors contribute to youths optimism about their future?
- What causes youths to feel hopeless about their future?
Objectives
- To assess the level of youths optimism regarding their future.
- To understand the significance of hope in life.
- To identify factors contributing to either hope or hopelessness among youths.
Survey timeframe
This survey was conducted over three months (from February 2 to May 13 of the year 2024).
Research methodology and data analysis
Given the scope of the study, data was collected through questionnaires distributed via Google Docs and analyzed using the SPSS software.
Research variables
The research variables include “hope”, “hopelessness” and “youths”.
The study examined participants’ ages, revealing that 11.9% of respondents were between 15-20 years old, 53.9% were between 20-25 years old, and 34.2% were between 25-30 years old.
In addition, 20.1% of respondents were illiterate, 9.6% (21 people) were school students, 29.7% (86 people) were university students, and 40.6% (64 people) held a bachelor’s degree.
Moreover, 58.8% of respondents were unmarried, 38.8% were married, and 2.4% were engaged.
Survey findings
According to the current situation in Afghanistan, 60.3% of youths expressed optimism about their future life, while 39.7% (87 people) felt hopeless about it.
Of the respondents, 64.2% had very little hope for their future, 25.8% (34 people) were very hopeful, and 10% (13 people) had a little hope.
The primary reasons for youths optimism were social welfare, growth perspectives, a stable economy, and security. 30.1% of respondents cited these factors as sources of hope; among them, 25% (33 people) believed that security was the main reason for their optimism, while 27% (35 people) pointed to a good economy, and 17% (24 people) referred to social welfare and opportunities for growth.
When asked about their general outlook on life, 34.5% (31 people) felt very little hope, 21.2% (18 people) were quite hopeful, and 27.1% (23 people) were very optimistic. However, 17.2% (15 people) reported feeling very disappointed about their future life.
32% of respondents (28 people) attributed their hopelessness to social instability, family issues, restrictions on women, and a lack of growth perspectives. 28.7% (25 people) cited restrictions on women and the lack of opportunities for growth as reasons for their despair, while 21% (18 people) pointed to family issues.
Conclusion
Half of the respondents (50%) expressed concerns about their future life, particularly regarding employment, education, and the economy. Only 21.9% were concerned solely about their education.
