Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.60.2.9
I am Worried About the Future and Considering to Leave: Comparison of Migration Aspirations of Youth from Croatia and Southeast Europe
Mirjana Adamović
orcid.org/0000-0002-2132-9345
; Institute for Social Research in Zagreb, Croatia
Dunja Potočnik
orcid.org/0000-0003-1256-2660
; Institute for Social Research in Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper deals with the influence of individual and contextual factors on the emigration
aspirations of young people in Croatia, and with a comparison of the emigration aspirations of
young people from Croatia in 2018 with young people from nine European Central and Eastern
countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Kosovo, Romania,
North Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia). The insights presented in the paper are the result of
a project carried out by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in the mentioned countries. A comparison
of emigration aspirations in 2018 suggests that young people from Bulgaria, Croatia,
Romania and Slovenia show lower aspirations than young people from countries that are not
members of the European Union: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo,
North Macedonia and Serbia.
The applied regression model on the sample of young in 2012 in Croatia points that certain
sociodemographic characteristics (age, education, type of settlement and planning extramarital
relationship) are the most important predictors of migration aspirations. In 2018, in addition
to age, migration aspirations were expressed by respondents according to all levels of education
and young people from smaller towns. Young people’s attitudes towards the future of Croatia
are relatively consistent; it shows that in 2012 those who saw the economic situation in Croatia
as the same or worse were the most inclined to leave, while in 2018 aspirations were shown by
young people who perceived the future of Croatian society to be worse. Dissatisfaction with
the state of democracy was statistically significant in 2018.
In general, young people from all countries of Southeast Europe dominantly express migration
aspirations due to the desire to improve living standards, higher wages and better employment
opportunities, which is especially present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and North
Macedonia. To a much lesser extent, the main motive for moving to another country is better
education. In the regression model, the view on the future of society was the most consistent
predictor, along with other predictors that differ according to the analyzed countries.
Keywords
youth; migration aspirations; migration; Southeast Europe; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
285807
URI
Publication date:
17.11.2022.
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