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
Le
Figaro
, this reveals in particular that four out of ten people surveyed - 41% - have to tighten their belts to make ends meet.
"
The movement of youth precariousness that we see is confirmed by the study carried out by Elabe
", comments Isabelle Delaplace, general delegate of the FDJ Foundation.
That young people are sometimes on edge is nothing new.
In 2021, the FDJ Foundation had disbursed two million euros to support "
about 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 indicate having been uncovered several times over the past twelve months, “
on average on the 17th of the month
”.
Sign of a "
financial situation under pressure
", nearly half - 48% - of young people have "
difficulty paying for food
", and 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 given up the idea of heating themselves properly, 37% "
have given up on eating their fill
and 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 them "
consider that their social life is reduced or non-existent
", and three quarters "
declare having felt lonely in the last 12 months, including 27% 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 obstacles and this perceived social ostracism do not however reduce to nothing the optimism of young people, who remain resilient and "
want to believe that solutions exist
":
"Despite the difficulties they encounter, 64% of young people are optimistic for 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.