Decline in youths’ confidence in future deeply worrying: expert group

Ever fewer young people in Finland feel optimistic about their own future, according to the final report of the expert group appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture, which examined the decline in young people’s confidence in the future.

The group submitted its final report to the Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Mika Poutala on Wednesday, which also stressed the need to strengthen young people’s agency and standing in society, said the Ministry of Education and Culture in a press release.

The group presented 36 recommendations to improve the situation of the young people.

According to the expert group, which comprised of representatives from eight academic disciplines, the weakening of young people’s sense of their future prospects is driven by long‑term developments.

“The decline in young people’s confidence in the future is deeply worrying. We take this information very seriously, and I welcome the group’s recommendations with optimism. It is also encouraging to see that, despite the bleak mood, young people continue to build their future: according to the latest Youth Barometer, four out of five young people aspire to complete a higher education degree,” said Poutala.

According to the expert group, the key reasons behind the decline in young people’s confidence in the future included global factors, such as the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the pandemic, cuts in social benefits for students and in unemployment security, which have affected young people in particular, young people’s deteriorating mental health, increasing pressure related to employment, education and relationships, as well as a stronger focus on individual responsibility.

Public debate about young people and the future has long emphasised threats, which has contributed to uncertainty.

“Building confidence in the future is not only about young people. When young people in Finland see their future in a positive light, the whole country can look to the future with confidence,” said Adjunct Professor Tomi Kiilakoski, a member of the expert group.

The report recommended creating a cross‑sectoral strategy to strengthen young people’s confidence in the future.

The key areas included promoting a constructive culture of public debate, strengthening young people’s participation in environmental action and in society more broadly, improving opportunities for young people to influence decision‑making; ensuring safety in daily life, reducing pressures faced by young people, securing young people’s financial situation and improving mental‑health support.

“To strengthen young people’s confidence in the future, we need to listen to them, ensure they can influence matters that affect their own lives and, as a society, offer convincing pathways to a good future,” said Jenni Kallio, Postdoctoral Research Fellow of Tampere University and member of the group.

The group was chaired by Henni Axelin, Director of the Division for Youth Work and Youth Policy at the Ministry of Education and Culture. Members of the group were Kaija Appelqvist‑Schmidlechner, Jenni Helenius, Markku Jahnukainen, Jenni Kallio, Tomi Kiilakoski, Marjo Kurki, Panu Pihkala and Otto Tähkäpää.