«The movement of precariousness of the youth that we observe is confirmed by the study carried out by Elabe», comments Isabelle Delaplace, of the FDJ Foundation. doidam10 / stock.adobe.com
An Elabe study reveals that the precariousness of 18-26 year olds has increased. Over the past twelve months, a quarter of them have even given up seeking treatment.
Young people feel increasingly precarious, and increasingly excluded: this is the finding of the latest Elabe* study for the FDJ foundation, which compares the financial difficulties and the feeling of social exclusion of young people from 18 to 26 years old. Revealed by The Figaro, it reveals in particular that four out of ten people surveyed – 41% – have to tighten their belts to make ends meet. “The movement of precariousness of the youth that we observe is confirmed by the study carried out by Elabecommented Isabelle Delaplace, General Delegate of the FDJ Foundation.
That young people are sometimes on edge is nothing new. In 2021, the FDJ Foundation disbursed two million euros to support “fifteen thousand young people weakened by the health crisis, via associations such as Restos du Cœur or Apprentis d’Auteuil“recalls Isabelle Delaplace. But the precariousness of this age group tends to worsen, while, according to INSEE, inflation over one year reached 5.6% in March. An economic context that is difficult to bear for this population with low incomes.
In detail, a quarter of those questioned indicated that they had been exposed several times over the past twelve months, “on average on the 17th of the month“. Sign of a “financial situation under pressure“, almost half – 48% – of young people have “difficulty paying for food», et 34% «their transport“. Faced with a delicate financial equation, renunciations are multiplying: half of the young people surveyed have given up on the purchase of new clothes or on a cultural outing. Some have even deprived themselves of essential expenses: a third have abandoned the idea of heating properly, 37% “have given up on eating their filland a quarter have even given up on medical care, the study points out.
An isolated but optimistic youth
In addition, young people feel isolated: 47% of themfeel that their social life is reduced or non-existent“, and three quarters “say they have felt lonely in the past 12 months, 27% of them on several occasions“. Young people are, at the same time, lacking in consideration, reveals the summary document. 72% of young people feel that politicians do not understand them and 70% consider that their opinions are not listened to enough.
These barriers and perceived social ostracism do not, however, dwarf the optimism of youth, who remain resilient and “wants to believe that solutions exist» : “Despite the difficulties they face, 64% of young people are optimistic about their future”, says the study. However, this colorful dream is in danger of quickly tarnishing. For 44% of them, the next rung of the social ladder seems impossible to reach.
Precariousness, exclusion… These difficulties of young people have been in the spotlight since the health crisis. At the end of March, the government unveiled the first outlines of a stock market reform, aimed at expanding this system, with an injection of 500 million euros. On the program: an easing of the constraints to allow 35,000 additional students to obtain the precious status of scholarship holder.
*Elabe study carried out online for the FDJ foundation, from March 7 to 14, 2023, on a sample of 1000 individuals representative of the resident population of metropolitan France aged 18 to 26. The representativeness of the sample was ensured using the quota method applied to the following variables: sex, age, socio-professional category, category of urban area and region of residence.
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