Differentiation of Preferences Regarding the Places of Studying, Their Changes and Relationships with Mobility Decisions of the European Youth

The article presents the results of the research on preferences regarding the places of study among young Europeans, the changes of the preferences and the relationships between the preferences and the decisions. The research was carried out among secondary school students in seven European cities in 2005–2007 and again in 2015–2018 (n=1577). The research showed a strong positive correlation between the preferences of the places of residence and the places of studying (r = 0.85). At the same time, stronger declared mobility among young inhabitants of Western Europe and the impact of economic barriers on decisions concerning studying among the youth from less developed European countries were proven. Minor changes in the preferences of the places of study over the past decade have been shown, along with the Cold War division of Europe, constantly influencing the imaginations.

More “Europe” in Municipal Policy Structures? Anchoring European Youth Policy at the Municipal Level in Germany

Against the background of the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy (2010–2018) in Germany, the article explores the question of how European youth policy can be anchored at the municipal level. The article discusses (1) federal and regional efforts to incorporate the municipal level in implementing European youth policy, (2) arising challenges and (3) the significance of European policy for national, regional and municipal youth policy. Results suggest that although the involved actors stipulate the importance of municipal level involvement in designing the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy in Germany, the Strategy is actually implemented as a top-down strategy in which the municipal level receives impulses from other levels, rather than being incorporated in policy development. The article concludes that, in order to successfully strengthening European impulses in sub-national youth welfare discourses, mutual understanding and dialogue between levels is just as necessary as a content-related rather than process-related discussion.

Pre-Teen Gang Involvement Is Associated With Teenage Gambling Behavior: Exploratory Findings From a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Pacific Youth in New Zealand

Pacific youth in New Zealand have a disproportionately high risk for gambling and gang involvement compared with New Zealand European youth. Limited evidence indicates that youth gang involvement is associated with problem gambling; no research shows if it is associated with gambling. We conducted exploratory secondary analyses of data from 1063 Pacific youth and their mothers using data from 2 time points (age 9 and 14 years) from a longitudinal cohort study. Gang involvement at age 9 years was significantly associated with gambling at age 14 years, with adjusted odds of 2.25 (95% CI = 1.16-4.37). Of confounders, having a mother with a partner and Cook Islands ethnicity appeared protective against gambling at age 14 years. Despite some study limitations, as youth gambling can lead to subsequent adult problem gambling, our findings highlight the importance of understanding why Pacific youth join gangs, to inform public health policies to reduce the potential for future development of harmful behaviors.

Vulnerability among European Youth: A Proposal for a Multidimensional Approach (2013–2017)

The notion of vulnerability has acquired an important role in social policy debates. Therefore, the identification of vulnerable groups and their conditions is particularly important for the orientation of public policies and risk reduction. This article aims to offer a broad vision of the situation of European youth (15–29) using three dimensions of vulnerability (personal, economic and socio-cultural dimensions). To do so, we developed a multidimensional approach combining a system of indicators (N = 33) to contrast the evolution of the aforementioned dimensions among the European countries. Based on secondary analysis of quantitative data on European member states, we compared the evolution during two moments in time. The first period examined was 2012–2014, after the global financial crises but prior to the implementation of Youth Guarantee, whereas the second was the period which allowed for an examination of the latest updated data available (2017). Our results confirm territorial imbalances that affect the lives of European youth and their future opportunities. Northern countries led this scenario combining an inclusive education system with supportive labor market policies offering more opportunities to overcome risks. Although this multidimensional analysis is exploratory, its findings provide preliminary insight into the configuration of the dimensions of vulnerability in European youth.

The relative age-related participation trends in European Badminton

Background: T he purpose of this study was to identify the relative age effect (RAE) in European youth badminton through examining participation trends. Material and methods: T he birthdate distributions of 1909 badminton players (males = 994, females = 915) participating in the last three consecutive European U15, U17 and Junior (U19) Badminton Championships were analysed. Chi-square (χ²) goodness-of-fit tests were used to determine inter-quartile differences, and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated in order to compare quartiles with each other. Results: Statistically significant over-representation of players born shortly after the cut-off date was determined. Regarding gender, RAE was more notable in males compared to females, and the strongest results were determined in U15 compared to the other age categories. Moreover, striking trends were determined in Q1–Q4 comparisons, particularly as players in Q1 were more than twice for females and thrice for males as likely to participate in the European Badminton Championships. Conclusions: F indings of this study confirm the presence of RAE in European youth badminton though decreasing its intensity with age. Certain precautions or different approaches should be taken into consideration to organize the age categories, such as biological markers, variations, rotations or age quota for equal opportunities.