Survey: 59pct of youth fear they can never buy a home

 

A recent study conducted by Architects of Diversity (AOD) found that 59 percent of youth in the country fear they will never afford to buy a home in their lifetime.

In the survey of 3,089 youth respondents, 90 percent also called on the government to develop more affordable homes and 75 percent felt a ceiling price should be set on rent.

AOD said the Youth Aspiration Manifesto Survey sought to uncover youth opinions on issues such as employment, housing, education, wealth distribution, healthcare, environment, representation, and law and order.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the pre-existing economic anxiety among youth, demonstrating there is a real and pressing need for more effective economic policies that support the quality of life for youth.

“As demonstrated by the wide support for the increase of the minimum wage, political parties and policymakers stand to gain youth support through economic empowerment,” said AOD co-founder Jason Wee in a statement.

The survey was conducted over two weeks, from Feb 22 to March 7.

Respondents were between 18 and 30 years old. They were also quota sampled according to statistics in the 2020 census by race, gender, age, and state.

This was done as part of the #Undi100Peratus campaign launched yesterday, set up by AOD, Undi18, and UndiNegaraku.

The campaign seeks to achieve 100 percent youth voter turnout in the upcoming 15th general election (GE15) and ensure youth voices are heard by political parties.

Employment concerns

The survey also highlighted that 52 percent of youth feared future unemployment, a concern strongly highlighted among bumiputera respondents.

AOD noted this sentiment was felt most strongly by East Malaysians compared to other regions, accounting for 58 percent of respondents.

In light of the national minimum wage increase starting May 1, 87 percent of respondents supported the move.

The survey reported that 88 percent called for employment protection of gig workers as well, such as e-hailing and delivery drivers.

Split views on education

On the national education system, most respondents expressed neutrality on the matter at 38 percent.

This was followed by 35 percent who were dissatisfied and 27 percent who were satisfied.

The survey noted however that non-bumiputera respondents such as the Chinese (44 percent) and Indians (52 percent) were more likely to be unsatisfied.

This is compared to Malays and others, of which a lower percentage was dissatisfied at 32 and 29 percent respectively.

A little over two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) felt that enough time is spent learning Bahasa Malaysia in national schools.

However, more non-bumiputera reportedly felt too much time is spent on the language.

They also felt too little time is being spent on learning English in national schools. - Mkini