Mladi pred izazovom: kako uspjeti u hrvatskom društvu?

IN CROATIAN: Polazište ove analize je saznanje kako se svaka generacija mladih suočava s izazovom optimalne integracije u društvo u kojem žive, a ta se integracija promatra kao uspjeh u društvu. Stoga su u istraživačkom fokusu mladi i njihova percepcija faktora važnih za uspjeh pojedinca u suvremenom hrvatskom društvu te promjene koje su se u tom pogledu zbivale posljednjih 15-ak godina. Razmatranje faktora uspjeha smješteno je u širi kontekst vrijednosti mladih i njihove percepcije nekih aspekata društvene realnosti zajedno s promjenama koje su se dogodile na tom planu. Za usporedbu se koriste rezultati istraživanja provedenih 1999., 2004. i 2013. godine na uzorcima mladih iz cijele Hrvatske. Longitudinalno praćenje vrijednosti mladih potvrdilo je stabilnost njihova vrijednosnog sustava čiji vrh trajno zauzimaju vrijednosti privatnosti, samosvojnosti, materijalnog položaja i profesionalnog uspjeha. Pretpostavljeno je da tim vrijednostima odgovaraju životni ciljevi čije ostvarenje predstavlja glavne elemente društvenog uspjeha mladih. Kao najveći problem hrvatskog društva permanentno je percipirana nezaposlenost uz porast isticanja mita i korupcije, a kao aktere rješavanja društvenih problema mladi najviše ističu stručnjake i intelektualce, vlastitu generaciju te političare i političke stranke. Nezaposlenost je trajno percipirana i kao najveći problem mlade generacije čemu se u novije vrijeme pridružilo često navođenje važnosti "veza", a ne sposobnosti i stručnosti te nedostatak životne perspektive i nizak životni standard. Za rješavanje generacijskih problema mladi najviše odgovornosti adresiraju na roditelje, same sebe, Vladu i obrazovni sustav. Unutar naznačenog vrijednosnog i društvenog okvira zbivale su se indikativne promjene u percepciji okolnosti važnih za uspjeh u hrvatskom društvu. Sažeto rečeno, dok su koncem 1990-ih na vrhu ljestvice faktora društvenog uspjeha bila stečena znanja i sposobnosti, profesionalna odgovornost i zalaganje na radu, poštenje, pravednost i korektan odnos prema drugima te povoljan stjecaj okolnosti, 2013. godine na prva četiri mjesta, uz povoljan stjecaj okolnosti, izbile su osobne i obiteljske veze i poznanstva, lukavost, promućurnost i "snalažljivost" te osobno i obiteljsko bogatstvo. Indikativno je kako od općeg trenda pada isticanja velike važnosti svih promatranih okolnosti odudaraju politička podobnost, za koju je zabilježen kontinuirani rast isticanja važnosti, te podmićivanje utjecajnih osoba (korupcija) koje je ostalo na razini dosegnutoj još 2004. godine. Potonji uvidi su osobito indikativni kada se promatraju u kontekstu normativno demokratskog i višestranačkog sustava u kojem se vodi bitka protiv korupcije, a realno dominacije partitokracije i pripadajućeg klijentelističkog obrasca ponašanja te nedjelotvornosti pravosudnih institucija u sankcioniranju koruptivnih (ne)djela. Sve navedeno provocira i djelomice daje odgovore na pitanje što je u očima mladih pridonijelo dezavuiranju važnosti osobnih kompetencija, sposobnosti i vještina uz istodobno jačanje važnosti nepotizma i ponašanja koja balansiraju na rubu zakona, uključujući i korupciju. Može se pretpostaviti da su ustanovljene tendencije uvjetovane dosadašnjim načinom funkcioniranja društvenih institucija i aktera te kriznim procesima u kojima mnogi potrebni resursi postaju nedostupniji a aspiracije teže ostvarive pa u zaoštrenoj konkurenciji na cijeni dobivaju dobra umreženost i promućurnost, a gubi izvrsnost i trud. Rezultat svega toga je da mnogi mladi smatraju kako su meritokratski mehanizmi socijalne promocije diskreditirani jer nepotizam, klijentelizam, korupcija i izvrdavanje zakonskih normi puno više jamče uspjeh u društvu nego pouzdanje u vlastita znanja, vještine i sposobnosti, odgovorno i stručno obavljanje posla te pravedno, pošteno i korektno ponašanje. To svakako pridonosi širenju osjećaja besperspektivnosti među mladima na što ukazuju i promjene u njihovu viđenju osobne i društvene budućnosti koje pokazuju kako je opao osjećaj optimizma i porastao osjećaj pesimizma, posebice u pogledu budućnosti društva. Otuda je logično očekivati kako takvi trendovi mogu generirati daljnje urušavanje povjerenja mladih u društvene institucije i aktere. A to izaziva bojazan kako će u potrazi za sve neizvjesnijom boljom budućnošću mladi biti prisiljeni sve više se oslanjati na one individualne resurse i strategije koje će ih nastaviti udaljavati od meritokratskih načela društvenog uspjeha. --------------- IN ENGLISH: The starting point of this analysis is the awareness that every generation of youth faces the challenge of optimal integration into the society in which they live, and this integration is seen as social success. Therefore, the focus of the research are young people and their perception of the factors important for the success of an individual in contemporary Croatian society and the changes that have occurred in this respect in the last 15 years. The analysis of success factors is put in the broader context of young people’s values and their perception of some aspects of social reality together with the changes that have occurred in that respect. The results of the research conducted on the samples of youth from across Croatia in 1999, 2004 and 2013 are used for comparison. The longitudinal monitoring of young people’s values confirmed the stability of their value system, which permanently peaks at the values of privacy, autonomy, material status and professional success. It is assumed that these values correspond to life goals whose achievement represents the main elements of the social success of youth. Unemployment is permanently perceived as the biggest problem of the Croatian society with an increase in pointing out bribery and corruption, while the youth mostly indicate experts and intellectuals, their own generation, and politicians and political parties as actors of solving social problems. Unemployment is permanently perceived as the biggest problem of the young generation as well, which has in more recent times become accompanied with the frequent mentioning of the importance of "connections", and not qualifications and competences, as well as the lack of life perspective and the low living standard. For solving generational problems, the youth hold parents, themselves, the Government and the educational system most responsible. Within the indicated value and social framework, there have been indicative changes in the perception of circumstances important for achieving success in the Croatian society. In short, while in the end of 1990s the top positions on the scale of social success factors were marked by acquired knowledge and skills, professional accountability and commitment to work, honesty, fairness and correct attitude toward others, as well as favourable circumstances, in 2013 the first four places were reached by personal and family connections and contacts, shrewdness, astuteness and "resourcefulness", as well as personal and family wealth, together with favourable circumstances. It is indicative that political loyalty, for which a continuous increase in pointing out its importance has been observed, and bribing influential people, which has remained at its level reached in 2004, stand out from the general decreasing trend of pointing out the major importance of all the observed circumstances. The latter insights are especially indicative when observed in the context of a normatively democratic and multiparty system in which a battle against corruption is fought, while in reality in the context of partitocracy dominance and the associated clientelistic pattern of conduct and the ineffectiveness of judicial institutions in sanctioning corruptive (mis)conducts. All this provokes and partly answers to the question of what has, from the perspective of youth, contributed to diminishing of the importance of personal competencies, qualifications and skills, with simultaneous strengthening of the importance of nepotism and behaviors balancing on the margins of law, including corruption. It can be assumed that the detected tendencies are conditioned by the way in which social institutions and actors have functioned so far, and by the crisis processes in which many of the necessary resources become less accessible and the aspirations more difficult to achieve, and therefore, in the circumstances of intensified competition, a well-established network of contacts and astuteness gain in value, while excellence and hard work lose. The result of all this is that many young people find meritocratic mechanisms of social promotion discredited due to the fact that nepotism, clientelism, corruption and breaching of legal norms guarantee social success to a much greater extent than relying on one's own knowledge, skills and abilities, responsibility and professionalism at work, as well as just, fair and correct behavior. This certainly contributes to spreading the feeling of lack of prospects among young people, as evidenced by the changes in their perception of personal and social future, which indicate the decline of the feeling of optimism and the growth of the feeling of pessimism, especially with regard to the future of society. Hence, it is logical to expect such trends to generate further collapse of the trust that the youth have in social institutions and actors. And this causes concern that youth, in seeking better future, which is becoming increasingly uncertain, will be forced to rely more and more on those individual resources and strategies that will continue distancing them from the meritocratic principles of social success