Nearly half of young JAMAICAN'S would give up citizenship - for foreign opportunities, says UWI study.... "Further yet, 60 per cent believe that the country is not being managed effectively and 62 per cent noted that the current leaders do not have the capacity to manage the country's affairs,"

Thursday, January 15, 2015

A University of the West Indies (UWI) study has found that nearly half of Jamaica's young people would be willing to give up their citizenship, most for better opportunities in another country.

According to the researchers, more effort is needed to
address the decaying values and attitudes among Jamaica’s
 youth population.

The National Youth Values and Attitudes Survey, which was conducted in April last year by UWI's Centre for Leadership and Governance (CLG), found that 43.2 per cent of respondents below age 18 would be willing to relinquish their Jamaican citizenship while nearly half the number of young adults, 49.3 per cent, indicated that they would.

The survey targeted 1,000 Jamaican youths from ages 14 to 25 from a total youth population of 627,026. It covered Jamaica's 14 parishes and carries a margin of error of four per cent and a confidence level of 95 per cent, according to CLG.

Meanwhile, the survey also found that only 35 per cent of youths viewed politicians as being important. This compares to value of family (98 per cent), attending school (98 per cent), hard work (99 per cent), educational attainment (98 per cent), and attending church was (88 per cent). Additionally, 78 per cent of the respondents value leisure activities and 76 per cent and 77 per cent, respectively holding the view that friends and intimate partners are important.

"Further yet, 60 per cent believe that the country is not being managed effectively and 62 per cent noted that the current leaders do not have the capacity to manage the country's affairs," the CLG noted. more