Skopje, 12 August 2021 (MIA) – On the occasion of International Youth Day, the Youth Education Forum presented on Thursday a study on the social and political participation of young people in North Macedonia backed by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The study shows that 69% of young people in North Macedonia have never been consulted by institutions, compared to the 27% who have been consulted at local or national level. The number of respondents who have never been consulted has dropped by 15% compared to a study conducted in 2019, reflecting an improvement. The importance of youth participation is evident by the fact that young people who take part in activities have a positive image of themselves and their place in society. European Union membership is an important topic for young generations, but their optimism has dropped compared to 2019. Youth Education Forum president Stefani Spirovska told a press conference on Thursday that nearly a half of respondents (44%) believe that North Macedonia will join the EU. On average, the year they think this will happen is 2026. Only a third of young people (29%) think that the authorities are familiar with their needs and issues. When it comes to young people with disabilities, only 8% believe that authorities care about them and their problems. According to the study, respondents have demonstrated high awareness in regard to voting, with 74.7% of them having voted at the 2020 Parliamentary election. 20.3% said that they regularly take action to resolve social issues, while a third of them (33.4%) noted that they have managed to solve them. Young people have also been affected by the pandemic, with nearly 15% of them being subject to salary cuts, while 6% lost their job. In regard to education, respondents who are still at school have given an average score of 3 to the quality of education in North Macedonia amid the pandemic. Youth Education Forum’s executive director Dimitar Hizamovski presented during the press briefing key recommendations for improving the lives of young people in North Macedonia. These include guaranteeing state funds for youth policies, forming local youth councils and opening youth centers at municipal level and ensuring political parties make sure young people are represented in their programs and candidate lists at upcoming local elections, as well as raising awareness among young people over the need for vaccination against COVID-19. The research was conducted in 2020 via a phone survey by Team Institute and prepared by the Youth Education Forum and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The publication is available in full here.