Youth Studies: Latvia

Satisfaction with Education and Emigration Intentions Among Young Latvians

The quality of education plays a crucial role in shaping the future of young people. In Latvia, Friedrich Ebert Foundation's 2023 Youth Study survey data reveals significant insights into how young Latvians perceive their education and how this perception impacts their intentions to emigrate. The findings not only highlight the satisfaction levels but also underline the potential consequences of dissatisfaction.

Comparative Satisfaction with the Quality of Education in Central and Eastern Europe

Youth in the Baltic countries, including Latvia, tend to be more satisfied with the quality of education compared to their peers in Central and Eastern Europe. The graph below shows that only 11.87% of respondents in Estonia and 27.64% of respondents in Latvia were "not satisfied at all" or "mostly dissatisfied" with the quality of education in their country.

The Impact of Education Quality on Emigration Intentions

The second graph examines how dissatisfaction with education quality influences young Latvians' intentions to emigrate. The data reveals a clear correlation: over half (54.30%) of the respondents who are "very satisfied" with the quality of education in Latvia have "no intention to emigrate," compared to only 18.5% of those who are "not at all satisfied."

This finding underscores the importance of ensuring high-quality education to reduce the desire for emigration among young people. It suggests that improving educational standards could play a key role in retaining young talent within the country.

Key Takeaways

• Young people in the Baltic countries, including Latvia, generally report higher satisfaction with the quality of education compared to their peers in Central and Eastern Europe.
• High satisfaction with education quality is linked to lower emigration intentions among young Latvians, with 54.30% of "very satisfied" respondents having "no intention to emigrate."
• Conversely, dissatisfaction with education quality significantly increases the desire to emigrate, with only 18.5% of "not at all satisfied" respondents not considering emigrating at all.

On the Data

The data was taken from the 2023 study "Personal Optimism, National Pessimism, Trust in Europe. A Comparison of Values, Attitudes, and Plans of Young People in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia". It investigates the opinions of people aged 14-29 years on a broad range of topics such as education, employment, political participation, family relationships, and values. Read the full study here.