Well-being and health of young people
The approx. 280-page report and the accompanying website www.jugendbericht.lu not only analyse the well-being and health of young people in general, but also consider the effects of the pandemic.
Overview of the results
Overall, the Luxembourg Youth Report paints a positive picture. The majority of young people in Luxembourg report good well-being, good health and general satisfaction with life in Luxembourg. The following elements are particularly important:
- A trusting support of the family,
- time spent together with friends,
- a high socio-economic status,
- open, participation-oriented structures in schools,
- youth work, employment and out-of-home care facilities.
At the same time, young people consider themselves as quite responsible and competent actors with regard to their well-being and health. Young people specifically try to improve them through their actions (among others through sports and nutrition), but some of them also show harmful or risky behaviour (such as lack of exercise, unhealthy diet or alcohol consumption).
However, many young people in Luxembourg are also worried about their future, especially if they are affected by poverty and disadvantage. In addition, school stress and pressure to perform, professional integration problems as well as housing shortages and environmental degradation are key issues affecting young people's well-being.
Well-being and health differ according to age, gender and, above all, the social background of the young people. The Youth Report points out these specific problems and risks for young people, but also emphasises the manifold existing potentials of young people and the associated political and social challenges.
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The well-being and health of young people are a priority of education policy. In this area, it is essential to be able to rely on facts; our intuitions may or may not turn out to be right. In this sense, the University is a valuable partner. The report on the situation of youth will serve as a basis for the discussion that will be carried out in the weeks and months to come and which will culminate in the new national action plan on youth policy (Jugendpakt),” explains Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth. About the Youth ReportThe Youth Report dates back to Article 15 (1) of the Youth Law of 4 July 2008 and has been published every five years since 2010. The Youth Report was adopted within the framework of a cooperation agreement between MENJE and the University of Luxembourg and was carried out by researchers at the Department of Social Sciences under the scientific direction of Prof. Robin Samuel and Prof. Helmut Willems at the University of Luxembourg. Following the publication of the report, the Ministry, in accordance with Article 15 (2) of the Youth Act, will develop an action plan for youth in cooperation with representatives of various ministries as well as civil society. Thus, the present report also serves as a scientific foundation for the action plan. The 3rd Youth Report provides a broad description and analysis from a social sciences perspective, accompanied by a contribution from MENJE. The research team evaluated publications, research reports and statistics and conducted several extensive studies. Of great importance was the participation of the young people themselves, their assessments and views, as well as the participation of experts from the field and the support of a scientific advisory board. The report is available both as a book publication and online as a PDF on www.jugendbericht.lu. |