Fewer young Greeks live with their parents than in countries like Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain, according to new EU-wide research.
A report, entitled Social Situation of Young People in Europe, found that some 46 per cent of young people in Greece under the age of 29 – the same percentage as in Luxembourg – are living with their parents. This figure is up from 37 per cent in 2007.
That put it two points below the EU average. The survey found that almost half of 18-29 year olds in the EU are still living with their parents.
Compiled by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), the report charts the changing social situation of young people aged between 18 and 29 across the EU. The report relates to data from 2011, whereas the previous report from the group contained data from 2007.
The study found that one in three (35 per cent) of young Greek people reported experiencing “serious deprivation”, which is defined as the “inability to afford items considered essential”. This figure is up from 20 per cent in 2007.
The survey asked respondents if their households could afford six basic items: keeping the home adequately warm; paying for a week’s annual holiday away from home (not staying with relatives); having a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day; replacing worn-out furniture; buying new clothes rather than second-hand ones; and inviting friends or family for a drink or meal at least once a month.
On the issue of health, some 68 per cent of young people in Greece said waiting times were a barrier to healthcare – the highest in the EU.
Compared with 2007, barriers in accessing healthcare, especially cost, have become more prevalent in some countries, in particular Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovakia.
The report said these increases were likely to reflect the 2011 austerity measures, such as limiting the duration of free healthcare for the unemployed to a year, and people in general having to contribute more towards medical costs.
Young people were most likely to have attended protests or demonstrations at least once in the year prior to the survey in Greece (22 per cent), followed by Cyprus (19 per cent), Spain (18 per cent) and France (17 per cent).
Another finding was that young Greeks had the lowest levels of trust in their government.
In 2011, young people rated their trust of the government at 2 on a scale of 1-10, down from 4.2 in 2007, the sharpest fall across the EU.
The report also found that young Greeks’ optimism in the future plummeted from 69 per cent in 2007 – when it was the same as the EU average – to 26 per cent in 2011, making them the most pessimistic in the EU.
Source: enetenglish