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ARMENIA: DO MOST YOUNG PEOPLE WANT TO LEAVE FOR GOOD?
EurasiaNet.org
Aug 14 2013
August 14, 2013 - 10:12am, by Giorgi Lomsadze
Almost 80 percent of young Armenians surveyed in a recent poll say
they'd leave their country if they get the chance, with 36 percent
saying they'd leave for good. Their desire, uncovered by the Armenian
chapter of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), jives with
other recent research, and further stokes long-standing survival
fears within Armenia.
"It is clear that the migration process poses risks for our country...
by taking away young people, who are full of energy and are in
their reproductive age," said Gagik Hayrapetian, UNFPA's assistant
representative in Armenia, speaking at an August 12 news conference
dedicated to International Youth Day.
In 2012, 49,600 Armenian citizens left the country of 2.97 million
people for good, according to official data, but many locals speculate
that the real number could be still higher. Coupled with one of
the world's lower birth rates, high numbers of young people longing
to seek greener pastures abroad may not augur well for the future,
many Armenians fear.
The poll questioned 1,200 Armenian citizens between the ages of 18
and 30.
Many young Armenians are pessimistic about their education or career
options at home, according to the findings of a report by the Armenian
UN Association. Their strong desire to study abroad creates fertile
soil for an eventually permanent emigration, the report found.
While Armenia's struggling economy is often considered the main cause
of migration, the report argues that many other factors come into play,
too, including marriage.
Armenians, who tend not to get married before they hit 30, tend to be
less enthusiastic about tying the knot. Economic considerations are
the main stopper for men, while women tend to be more concerned about
what marriage could mean for their ability to live their own lives.
Counter to traditional norms, a growing number of women are saying
that career matters more for them than starting a family and that after
marriage they would not want to live with their parents or in-laws.
While the Armenian government long has struggled with these trends
-- its population numbers are considered a toss-up for accuracy --
little progress appears to have been made. A poll run this spring
by Gallup found that 40 percent of a less age-specific Armenia-based
sample also wanted to leave the country for good.
While this latest sample size is relatively limited, it points to a
trend. How to reconcile such findings with what prospects Armenia can
realistically offer the young -- eventual closer integration with
the European Union, for instance -- should prove a topic to keep
officials up late at night, analysts say.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67385
EurasiaNet.org
Aug 14 2013
August 14, 2013 - 10:12am, by Giorgi Lomsadze
Almost 80 percent of young Armenians surveyed in a recent poll say
they'd leave their country if they get the chance, with 36 percent
saying they'd leave for good. Their desire, uncovered by the Armenian
chapter of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), jives with
other recent research, and further stokes long-standing survival
fears within Armenia.
"It is clear that the migration process poses risks for our country...
by taking away young people, who are full of energy and are in
their reproductive age," said Gagik Hayrapetian, UNFPA's assistant
representative in Armenia, speaking at an August 12 news conference
dedicated to International Youth Day.
In 2012, 49,600 Armenian citizens left the country of 2.97 million
people for good, according to official data, but many locals speculate
that the real number could be still higher. Coupled with one of
the world's lower birth rates, high numbers of young people longing
to seek greener pastures abroad may not augur well for the future,
many Armenians fear.
The poll questioned 1,200 Armenian citizens between the ages of 18
and 30.
Many young Armenians are pessimistic about their education or career
options at home, according to the findings of a report by the Armenian
UN Association. Their strong desire to study abroad creates fertile
soil for an eventually permanent emigration, the report found.
While Armenia's struggling economy is often considered the main cause
of migration, the report argues that many other factors come into play,
too, including marriage.
Armenians, who tend not to get married before they hit 30, tend to be
less enthusiastic about tying the knot. Economic considerations are
the main stopper for men, while women tend to be more concerned about
what marriage could mean for their ability to live their own lives.
Counter to traditional norms, a growing number of women are saying
that career matters more for them than starting a family and that after
marriage they would not want to live with their parents or in-laws.
While the Armenian government long has struggled with these trends
-- its population numbers are considered a toss-up for accuracy --
little progress appears to have been made. A poll run this spring
by Gallup found that 40 percent of a less age-specific Armenia-based
sample also wanted to leave the country for good.
While this latest sample size is relatively limited, it points to a
trend. How to reconcile such findings with what prospects Armenia can
realistically offer the young -- eventual closer integration with
the European Union, for instance -- should prove a topic to keep
officials up late at night, analysts say.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67385