They think about the future with apprehension but also with a sense of responsibility. They are aware of the risks of the present, but they do not give up planning, believing in change, imagining a better tomorrow. It is the portrait of Italian adolescents outlined by the research of CREMIT (Research Center on Media, Innovation and Technology Education) ofCatholic University of the Sacred Heart, promoted by Future and by ScuolAttiva Onlus. The study, presented today in the Bontadini room of the Milanese university during the conference “We are the future: teenagers tell their story”involved 752 young people between 16 and 18 years old coming from all over Italy.
Between anxiety and planning
What emerges from the research is a generation suspended between fear and hope. Almost three out of four young people say they think often or continuously about their future: a reflection that oscillates between anxiety and the desire to plan. The prevailing emotions are worry, insecurity and anxietybut they coexist with curiosity and motivation. To the question “what word do you associate with the future?”, the most frequent answers are “change” (15%), “responsibility” (12%), “ambition” (11%), “economic independence” (11%) and “hope” (9%). A lexicon that reflects awareness, sense of duty and desire for autonomy.
Training at the centre
The study confirms the importance young people attach to education: 76.7% intends to graduate, recognizing university education as the key to self-realization. A 18.7%on the other hand, would prefer to enter the world of work immediately, choosing a more practical and direct path.
On a professional level, the need for security prevails: 70% dreams of a stable permanent job, but interest in forms of work is growing autonomous (20%) And hybrid or flexible (35%). Despite the uncertainty, the 60% of those interviewed imagine themselves satisfied with their future economic situation, while a 36% he thinks he needs to keep working to improve it.
Technology and the environment: resources to be managed with measure
Technology is seen as support tool: for 43% of young people it serves to improve daily and working life, but must not replace human decisions. It is a generation that talks about balance between online and real life, a sign of a critical and aware approach to digital.
Clarity also emerges on the environmental front: the climate crisis it is perceived as an irreversible fact, but not without hope. The boys ask collective commitment and personal responsibilityconvinced that change is possible.
Ffamilies, friendship and volunteering: the pillars of tomorrow
Alongside technology and work, the relational dimension remains central. There family it remains a point of reference for values and symbols: many imagine themselves as parents in their forties, in a balance between tradition and freedom. THE’friendship it is considered a constant presence, an authentic affective network.
Particularly significant is the given on volunteering: The 42% of young people say they are engaged in solidarity activities, with higher participation among girls (48%) compared to boys (32%). The most widespread experiences concern oratories, after-school clubs and sports associations. It is not a refuge, but a conscious choice: those who dedicate themselves to others show more confidence and serenity with respect to the future, transforming worry into responsibility.
A conscious optimism
The research, commented by the teachers Alessandra Carenzio, Linda Lombi and Annalisa Valletogether with the teacher Cecilia Delvecchio of the “Mattei” Institute of San Donato, and with the contribution of young people like Chiara Luzi (School and Professional Orientation Research Center) ed Elena Di Natale (Doctors Without Borders), therefore outlines a complex and mature portrait.
As he noted Matteo Lancinipresident of the Foundation Minotaurwho spoke with the students, these kids are not resigned but aware: they are looking for stability, without giving up freedom and innovation.
Overall, the investigation is telling a generation that believes in the futurebut approaches it with his feet on the ground. Young people who want buildnot just dreaming; responsiblebut not disillusioned; realistsbut not cynical. In them, the fear of uncertainty coexists with the confidence of being able to really impact the world.
