Ukraine is losing children: every fourth teenager wants to leave the country
15 September 15:31
25% of children aged 13-16 want to leave the country where they were born and raised. These are the results of a study conducted by the Olena Zelenska Foundation, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The Olena Zelenska Foundation presented the results of a study that revealed the attitudes of Ukrainian teenagers towards their future. The survey covered more than 5,000 children aged 13-16 and the same number of their parents and guardians.
Ukraine or abroad: Generation Z’s choice
There are about 1.3 million teenagers living in Ukraine today. Almost half of them (45%) associate their future with Ukraine. At the same time, one in four students does not rule out the possibility of going abroad.
Parents are more optimistic: 57% want their children to stay in Ukraine, while only 45% of teenagers do. This indicates a generational difference in the perception of the country’s future.
Why do teenagers think about migration?
The reasons for possible departure seem to be quite pragmatic:
- 80% of teenagers believe that there are more opportunities abroad;
- 64% want to see the world and gain new experience;
- 39% are convinced that the quality of education outside Ukraine is higher;
- only 38% mentioned safety as a motive.
Opinions of those who have already left
The responses of young people echo the experience of those Ukrainians who are already studying or working abroad, BBC News Ukraine reports.
“In most post-Soviet systems, you pay not for success, but for survival: bribes, connections, dependencies. This is a system that lives by its own rules and holds people hostage to bureaucracy and corruption. I choose a different place, a place where the system works for people, not people for the system,” says Maksym, a student from Berlin.
Yegor, who left for Poland after the ninth grade, explains the migration sentiments of young people as follows:
“Everyone has probably heard the phrase ‘there’s no business in this country’ at a family feast. It seems that it is this collective despondency, the fear of the future of the older generation, that encourages young people to leave. This is understandable, especially in times of war.”
Europe as an ideal
Some of the teenagers surveyed admit that their perceptions of life in Europe are often idealized:
“The idealized (though long outdated) image of Europe, where ‘everything is human’ and fair, also plays a role,” adds Yehor.
What it means for the country
The results of the study show that: Ukraine risks losing a significant part of the younger generation if it does not create a sense of perspective for them at home.
The migration sentiments of teenagers are a signal to society and the government that the issues of opportunities, education, and the future development of the country are no less important to young people than security.
