engleski

Croatia: Between a troubled past and elusive future

The chapter examines the way Croatian youth look at life from two general standpoints. The first one focuses on the common characteristics of young people at age of 17 at about the time when the well-known problems of young adulthood occur. The second one takes into account the particular social traits of Croatian society and more specifically the legacy of Communism and war connected with the declaration of Croatian independence (1991-1995). These violent political events ushered in the transition from Communism to a democratic form of society with a functioning market economy. The empirical study was carried out in 2002 on the sample of 1064 high-school pupils in two larger Croatian towns. The data show, firstly, that these young people feel threatened by social insecurity but at the same time believe that they can plan their own future. Their position in society is decisively marked by low trust in social institution, particularly those which present politics (the government, political parties and the parliament). Accordingly, attitudes toward politics are built on the conviction that none of the parties represent the young and their interests. Expectations about the future, although vague, are transformed by relatively positive attitudes toward a united Europe, of which Croatia is still not a full member. Difference in attitudes among Croatian youth are explained at the end of this chapter in connection with personality, religiosity, relevance of parents and sex.

youth, life perspective, Croatia.

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