The Citizen Platform conducted an online survey in September and the first week of October to uncover the views and opinions of youth. A total of 5,075 youth aged 18 to 35 participated in the survey. They were asked about their participation in voting and politics, policy involvement, and the current conditions of freedom of expression and representation in the country.
The answers given by the youth not only on freedom of expression but on the entire society, economy and politics present a very worrying picture. Demographically, youth now constitute the largest segment of adults in the country, but neither the state’s development philosophy nor the current nature of democracy is able to meet their aspirations. No development can be sustainable by depriving the youth of hope and keeping them out of the democratic process.
Of the youth who participated in the survey, 69.4 percent identified corruption and nepotism as major obstacles to development. These findings have not emerged only in the youth survey. Rather, various research conducted by government and non-government agencies have identified corruption as the main obstacle to development.