A recently conducted survey shows that 74.2% of Bangladeshi youths, aged between 16 and 35, are willing to cast their votes in the upcoming 12th parliamentary elections, scheduled for January 7, 2024.
The “Youth Matters Survey” was conducted via social media platforms, and gathered a total of 5,609 responses over 15 days, using a clustered sample from all administrative divisions.
The structured questionnaire consisted of 11 demographic and 22 thematic questions.
BYLC conducts this survey every five years, especially before the national elections, to provide Bangladeshi youth the space to voice their aspirations and concerns about the present state and future of the country.
This year, BYLC collaborated with Brac University’s Center for Peace and Justice (CPJ) to conduct the survey.
The results of this survey were announced at a press conference held at BYLC's headquarters in Dhaka on Thursday. BYLC's Abul Khair Sajib and Hussain Mohammad Omar Khayyum presented the results.
The survey shows that a total of 44.7% of respondents agree that Bangladesh is a peaceful country. However, 63% of the youth express the perception that peace has declined over the last five years.
Additionally, 57.3% of the youth feel that the state of justice has worsened during the same period in Bangladesh.
According to the research, 71.5% of youth stated that they do not feel safe expressing their opinions publicly.
When respondents were asked to identify the challenges faced by Bangladesh in its development, 88.8% highlighted corruption as a major concern, while 67.3% pointed to unemployment, 50.5% cited inflation, and 29.1% expressed that the erosion of democratic rights is a noteworthy issue.
In terms of pursuing livelihood, 48.7% of youth are interested in entrepreneurship as a future profession, highlighting the growing entrepreneurial mindset of Bangladesh’s youth.
Improving education is a top priority for youths as well as 57.7% feel the quality of teachers is not good enough, and 44.4% suggest adding training for leadership and soft skills in the school lessons.
The emotional and physical wellness of youth is adversely affected by inflation in commodity prices (61.8%), socio-political-economic conditions (45.1%), and job insecurity (40.2%).
The survey also reveals that climate change affects 73.4% of youth, highlighting growing awareness among today’s youth about the impacts of the climate crisis.
A significant 42.4% are considering leaving the country, citing socio-economic concerns (75.5%), skill-job mismatch (50.9%), and restricted educational options (42.3%) as reasons. But the positive side is that 85.5% of youth said they would return to Bangladesh if conditions improved.
Despite all the challenges in the country, 56.8% of respondents said that they are optimistic about Bangladesh's future.
The findings of the last survey shaped a Youth Manifesto in 2018.
What experts say about the survey
Bylc’s Founder And Executive Chairperson Ejaj Ahmad said: “We should not see youth as future leaders but as current leaders. To ensure meaningful youth participation, we should not only incorporate their viewpoints in our national policies but also provide for them to exercise leadership at local and national levels, including politics, business and civil sectors.”
CPJ’s director of research Dr M Sanjeeb Hossain said: “I am extremely hopeful about the youth. The enthusiasm I have witnessed among them in this country is truly commendable. Now it is the responsibility of our duty bearers to nurture and safeguard this hope."
Bylc’s Executive Director Tahsinah Ahmed said: "The unemployment problem is still prevalent in Bangladesh. And those who come to work after being highly educated have to go abroad without a proper job system. However, in this research, we have seen that if the youth get a job system, proper living system, better healthy life in Bangladesh, they want to return to Bangladesh and stay in Bangladesh. Its number is about 80 percent. it's very optimistic for us."
CPJ’s Research Associate Tasnia Khandaker also said that importance should be given to the youth.
