Engl. transl.: Youth 2019 – 18. Shell Youth Study

"As a long-term reporting tool, the Shell Youth Study enables policymakers to create a basis for social and political action. With this commitment to youth research, Shell Germany has been taking the opportunity to assume social responsibility for decades. The 18th Shell Youth Study "A generation speaks out", is based on a representative sample of 2,572 young people aged 12 to 25 in Germany. All were interviewed personally by Kantar interviewers about their life situation, attitudes and orientations. Based on a standardised questionnaire, the survey took place from early January to mid-March 2019. As part of a supplementary qualitative study, two to three-hour in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 young people." [URL: https://www.shell.de/ueber-uns/shell-jugendstudie/ueber-die-shell-jugendstudie.html] "The 18th Shell Youth Study is subtitled “A generation speaks up”. Once again, the youth of today are forcefully stating their demands with regard to shaping the future of our society and demands the settings for the course needed for this be initiated today. Environmental protection and climate change, in particular, have gained considerably in importance as issues of relevance to the future. They are at the centre of the demand for greater participation and a call to action on the part of the political classes and society. Their fundamentally pragmatic outlook continues to characterise young people in Germany today. As already described in previous Shell Youth Studies, young people are still willing to conform to performance standards to a high degree and, at the same time, wish for stable social relationships in their personal lives. As part of their personal search for a secure and autonomous place in society, they adapt to prevailing circumstances so that they can seize opportunities that open up to the best degree possible. More so now than in the past, many young people attach importance to a much more conscious lifestyle and are clearly and loudly articulating their demands for a sustainable environment and society. The results of the current Shell Youth Study show that there are no irreconcilable polarisations or divisions in attitudes despite clearly visible societal differences based on the origin of the young people concerned that continue to apply by virtue of differing levels of educational success. The differences between East and West, between male and female young people and between young people with and without an immigration background are also becoming smaller rather than larger. A large number of similarities may be observed across all groups, including a growing concern for the future of the environment, a trend towards mutual respect and mindfulness in one’s own life, a strong sense of justice, and a growing urge to take an active role in addressing these concerns. However, the attraction to populism experienced by some young people cannot be overlooked. The criticism levelled by many of these young people against the so- called establishment in political life and society is also influenced by the fact that some of them generally feel that they haven’t been consulted or involved sufficiently. In the current Shell Youth Study, we distinguish between young people as “cosmopolitans”, “liberal-minded”, “no clear position”, “attracted to populism” and “national-populists”. A clearly discernible polarisation may be observed between cosmopolitans and national-populists, but both groups taken together make up only about one-fifth of all young people." [URL: https://www.shell.de/ueber-uns/shell-jugendstudie/_jcr_content/par/toptasks.stream/1570708594823/cc089c96f35209143fdfdcbead8365dc26f9a238/shell-youth-study-2019-summary-en.pdf] (translated by the coder)

"Young people are more willing to speak their minds and express their interests and expectations, not just amongst themselves, but also increasingly towards those in politics, society and employers. At the same time, the majority of young people are inclined to be positive about the future. Their satisfaction with democracy is increasing. The EU is mainly perceived as positive. Young people are mostly tolerant and liberal with regards to society. The greatest concern for young people is environmental degradation." [URL: https://www.shell.de/medien/shell-presseinformationen/2019/shell-jugendstudie-2019-jugendliche-melden-sich-zu-wort/_jcr_content/par/relatedtopics.stream/1571316856414/29bf4c40fe4efcfb97c7bbaefa2074b4df74c5fd/shell-youth-study-2019-press-release-english.pdf]