Sociology of Croatian society: Youth and Values Siniša Zrinščak May 05,

„ A referendum on the European Union accession of the Republic of Croatia, held on January 22,2012, resulted in 66.27% ‘yes’ vote. … however… young voters were not only sceptical, but straightforwardly against the EU accession … … a report using data from a reliable national survey … in November 2010, concluded that young people aged between 15 and 24 were the only age group in the overall Croatian society in which those ‘against’ outnumbered those who were in favour of accession….” I. Tomić-Koludrović, M. Petrić, Ž. Zdravković (2012) Changing Identities: Croatian youth at the threshold of the EU. In: H. Scheck (ed.) Changing Identities in South East Europe. Vienna.

Concepts…. Culture = way of life of people; human-created strategies for adjusting to their surroundings and to those creatures (including humans) that are part of those surroundings Material culture – all the natural and human-created objects to which people have attached meaning Nonmaterial culture – intangible human creations, which we cannot identify directly through senses = beliefs, values, norms, symbols, language

Beliefs – conceptions that people accept as true, concerning how the world operates and where the individual fits in relationship to others – influences on actions Values – general, shared conceptions of what is good, right, appropriate…with regard to conduct, appearance, and states of being; conceptions of the desirable which are not directly observable but are evident in moral discourse and relevant to the formulation of attitudes + evidence of pattering among attitudes = value orientations

Socialization – the process by which people develop a sense of self and learn the ways of the society in which they live…. a lifelong process through internalization = people take as their own and accept as binding the norms, values, beliefs, and language that their socializers are attempting to pass on Socialization – importance of social contacts

Agents of socialization – significant others that (1) shape our sense of self or social identity; (2) teach us about the groups to which we do and do not belong; (3) help us to realize our human capacities; (4) help us negotiate the social and psychical environment we have inherited Group – two or more people who share a distinct identity, feel a sense of belonging, and interact directly or indirectly with one another

Primary group – face-to-face contact and strong emotional ties among members In-groups – a group to which a person belongs, identifies, admires… / out-groups Institutions Mass and social media

Socialization across the life cycle: Stages 1-3 (infancy, toddler, preschool) Stage 4 (ages 6 to 12) Stage 5 (adolescence) Stage 6 (young adulthood) Stage 7 (middle age) Stage 8 (old age)

Research on youth 2012 Youth – a distinct social group (unfavourable social position) + social stratification Hypotheses : 1) youth are a recognizable social group by their lifestyle, attitudes, values and behaviour patterns; 2) there is a difference among various segments of youth with regard to their socio-demographic characteristics (29, 34) – extended youth Croatian social circumstances (# global?)

Representative sample – do we believe in surveys results (opinion poll)? 1500 respondents - from 14 to 27 years old (not as said in the text!)

Socio-economic situation Strong influence of a social background (father’s education) = limited social mobility Employed – from lower social status / lower education (forced to go into professions) + higher education Unemployed – older cohorts + those from very low social status Unemployment - the highest social risk today!

Youth unemployment (15-29), Eurostat, 2014

Elements of social stratification Households without PC: oldest youth, unemployed, smaller towns, three-year secondary school education, father – low education level # 18-22, Zagreb, secondary school education + students, highly educated fathers. …..

Social capital (Putnam) = social networks and norms of reciprocity associated with them The core of the theory = social networks matter Dense networks of social interactions foster norms of generalized reciprocity A society characterized by generalized reciprocity is more efficient than a distrustful society…Trustworthiness lubricates social life

Bonding and bridging s.c. Bonding – brings together people who are like one another in important aspects Bridging – social networks that brings together people who are unlike one another Bonding – not bad, but external networks of bridging networks are likely to be positive How to measure? Social trust and involvement in organizations – as indicators

Some results… The highest level of trust toward close persons – particularized trust more likely than generalized Only 13% of youth have had experience in volunteering in last 12 months Mostly in informal way – to persons with special needs and senior citizens, and peers in learning

Ranking of values, %

Social distance – accepting as neighbours, %

Acceptance of ethnic groups – scale 1 to 8

EVS 2008 data; % of those who do not want to have as neigbours… Croatia Post-communist (withouth CRO) South European countries 1.Homosexuals %Homosexuals %Roma % 2.Roma – 25.05%Roma – 41.20%Homosexuals % 3.Muslims %Muslims %Muslims % 4.Immigrants Immigrants %Immigrants % Source: EVS 2008

But – huge variations among countries (I)

But – huge variations among countries (II) Dominantno muslimanska zemlja

„Likewise, the intolerance of present-day secondary school students could be connected with their growing up in the context of economic and political crisis…. Nevertheless, one should keep in mind that highly educated (aged 19-30) are … in many respects still the most tolerant and self-expression values-oriented group… This leads to the conclusion, that public policy emphasis on education, as well as symbolic actions and rewarding of behavior consistent with the desired objectives, could have some beneficial effect… „ I. Tomić- Koludrović, M. Petrić, Ž. Zdravković (2012) Changing Identities: Croatian youth at the threshold of the EU. In: H. Scheck (ed.) Changing Identities in South East Europe. Vienna.