Children's fears and future prospects

This paper outlines the findings of a consumer survey conducted in 1996 and 2001 by the University of Bonn, Germany, across 15 European countries. The survey involved a sample of 3,300 respondents in 1996 and around 11,000 respondents in 2001, throughout all 15 EU countries. Children and adolescents, between the ages of 10 and 17, were surveyed about their consumption habits and their attitudes towards the environment. The paper outlines the key findings on 'Children's fears and future prospects'. Children are exposed to a great mass of information, not only derived from the media but also from what they experience directly in their everyday-life. Some of this information translates into worries that adopt a clearer (more realistic) form when children become adolescents, as they might be easily involved in those events, and the understanding of the processes that may cause or continue them is deeper. Today's children and adolescents are under more pressure, since the social/political/economical spectrum is constantly changing. Change produces anxiety, fear of what will result from these transformations, as it implies that the social order will be reorganized. This paper reports on a long term comparative study among children and adolescents throughout the European Union, analyzed by country, age group and gender. It draws different preoccupations of young generations and consequent future expectations. It concludes by considering the influence of social and political organizations, as well as the family, on children and adolescents, as these might help to sustain a positive attitude towards various future events.