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By Loubna Flah
Morocco World News
Casablanca, June 6, 2012
The High Commission for Planning published last Friday the results of its investigation on major tendencies among Moroccan youth. The surveyors selected a sample of 5000 young Moroccans varying in age from 18 and 45. The study was mainly conducted using the following variables: Moroccan youth moral and cultural credentials, their views on social issues, their emancipation in political life, their priorities and their concerns.
Mr. Ahmed Lahlimi, president of the HCP asserted that there is no agreed upon age interval that determines what should represent youth. In many international studies young people are considered to be aged between 15 and 25 years. Nevertheless, the investigation about Moroccan youth extended the age limit to 45 years for social and demographic reasons. One is the fact that life span among the Moroccan population has increased from 47 years in 1962 to 74.8 in 2010. The second has a trait with the culture of well being enhanced by the new modes of life and the emergence of a new range of social behavior resulting from the effects of globalization which redefines the concept of youth.
The sample chosen was 60% male citizens and 40% female citizens. Half of this population was married and 17 % were aged between 18 and 24 while 80% were between 35 and 44 years old with a low level of education especially in rural areas.
When it comes to the system of values endorsed by young Moroccans, the results revealed that 98.5% consider patriotism as among their core values. Family comes second at 54.6% and religion third with 24.1%. Less important are work, the country’s progress and studies.
Talking about marriage, two-thirds of the sampled population consider marriage as a cornerstone in society, mainly for two reasons, stability and religious commitment. Nearly 81.4% believe that both men and women should have equal access to education, while 68% believe that men and women should be given equal opportunities at work.
When asked about the evolution of living conditions in Morocco during the last ten years, 45% consider that the quality of life has considerably improved while 21 % noticed deterioration in their living standards. There is also a consensus among 67% of young Moroccans about the persistence of social inequalities in addition to 45% who believe that familial solidarity has weakened.
Concerning participation in public life, the results were surprising. Only 1% of the sampled population is affiliated to political parties and only 1% admitted affiliations to trade unions while 4% said that they occasionally take part in demonstrations or strikes. When it comes to voting, 36% of young Moroccans acknowledged that they vote on regular basis while14% admitted that do not vote on a regular basis.
When asked about their levels of trust, 58 % of Moroccan youth said that they trust the judicial system, while 49 % said that they trust the government in office, 60% have more trust in the press, 49% trust the civil society, 37% trust their representatives in the parliament, 26% trust city councils and only 24% trusted political parties.
The study about Moroccan youth priorities and concerns revealed that 90% consider that employment and equality of opportunities as their major concerns, whereas 83% think that that reforming the educational sector is a key to development. Access to decent housing comes third with 81%. It is also of note that 76% of Moroccan youth are concerned about the quality of health services. On the other hand, 62% of the sampled population considers that respect of freedom of expression should be a top priority. According to the census results, Moroccans seem to be more concerned more by inflation, unemployment and the lack of financial resources.
Overall, the empirical study conducted by the HCP discloses Moroccan youth’s value system, their outlook on society, their priorities and their concerns. The results show a reluctance to adhere to political parties that earn a low-level of trust among Moroccan youth. In addition, the ghost of unemployment seems to be haunting the bulk of the young Moroccans. The effort of correlating this data to the current reality is the challenge that decision makers have to take up under both the scrutiny and the support of civil society.
 Edited by Benjamin Villanti
