Generation Z in Bangladesh | Generation Z will shape the next decades | Youth development in Bangladesh

Today’s young generation, roughly aged 14 to 29, is the first social generation to be born in the digital age. The cohort born between 1995 and 2010 is known as Generation Z, or Gen Z for short. Because these young people grew up with access to the Internet and digital mobile technology and have very little or no memory of a world without touchscreens and social media, members of Generation Z are also known as “digital natives.”

According to the Global Youth Development Index Update Report 2023 published by the Commonwealth Secretariat, almost half of the world’s population and 60 percent of the Commonwealth population are under 30 years old. The number of 15 to 29 year olds was 1.8 billion in 2022, i.e. around 23 percent of the total world population.

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At the global level, there have been many discussions in recent years emphasizing the need for greater and more prominent involvement of young people in decision-making spaces. In Bangladesh, two key coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement were appointed advisers (equivalent to ministers) to the interim government formed in August after the previous repressive government was overthrown following a major mass student uprising. The inclusion of students in top government positions is unprecedented worldwide, having a profound impact and reflecting the expectations of the younger generation.

Bangladesh is undergoing a demographic transition that is changing the age structure of the population. According to the 2022 Population and Housing Census, young people between the ages of 15 and 29 make up 27.82 percent of the total population.

This population change occurred due to the gradual transition from high fertility and mortality to low fertility and mortality. According to the 2022 census, the proportion of the working-age population (age between 15 and 64 years) is 65.63 percent of the total population, while it was 60.62 percent in the 2011 census and 57.01 percent in the 2001 census.

The high proportion of the working-age population compared to the dependent population aged 0 to 14 years and those aged 65 years and above provides a window of demographic opportunity for Bangladesh. If used properly, this ratio can be converted into a demographic dividend of economic growth.

However, studies show that the demographic dividend is not only an automatic result of the labor force participation rate, but also a growth result achieved through the right policies and measures. If it is not possible to adapt effectively and in a timely manner to the changing age structure, the risk of missing the opportunity for higher economic growth increases. Failure to act quickly and effectively risks even worse penalties such as rising unemployment, higher rates of crime and drug addiction, mass unrest and political instability.

With half of the world’s population under the age of 30, it is now more important to change the way decisions are made, as young people’s lives are most impacted by the decisions we make today. The Be Seen Be Heard global youth survey conducted in December 2021 found that 76 percent of people under 30 believe politicians simply don’t listen to young people. This large-scale qualitative and quantitative research was commissioned by The Body Shop in collaboration with the Office of the Youth Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General.

The research found that a total of 75 percent of respondents believe politicians are “untrustworthy” and 84 percent of people describe politicians as “self-serving.” The majority of those surveyed also agree that the age distribution in politics is wrong.

Our general perception of young people is, by and large, the main obstacle to giving more weight to young voices in public decision-making spaces. Rather, we should ask ourselves: Are young people really irresponsible and disinterested and do they actually lack the will and ability to make a real difference?

Back in 2017, a nonprofit organization, the Varkey Foundation, commissioned a global study of the attitudes of 15- to 21-year-olds on various ethical, personal, community and political issues. The 2017 Generation Z: Global Citizenship Survey surveyed more than 20,000 respondents in 20 countries in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia, including India from South Asia. The survey found that the majority of Generation Z respondents believed it was important to contribute more fully to society.

The Deloitte Global 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey surveyed 22,841 respondents in 44 countries to examine their attitudes toward work and the world around them. The survey captured responses from 14,468 Gen Zs and 8,373 Millennials from countries in North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific

The survey found that almost all Gen Z and Millennials want work with purpose and are not afraid to turn down work that does not align with their values. About nine in 10 Gen Zs (86 percent) and Millennials (89 percent) said that meaningful work is very or somewhat important to their overall job satisfaction and well-being.

Today’s teenagers and young adults are the people who will shape the next decades. At a time when the world is plagued by conflict and terrorism, climate change, increasing inequality and economic instability, we need a balanced generational mix in the public decision-making space to find solutions to previously unresolved problems. When generations of all ages come together, we can look at things from young people’s new perspectives and include their voices in politics and civic engagement.

By investing in young people, Bangladesh can turn its unique demographic opportunity into a demographic dividend. Making the most of our demographic opportunities requires investment in creating an environment of quality health and education. Achieving the demographic dividend requires reforms to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance.

Public-private partnerships are essential in many areas of social policy to find innovative ways for the public and private sectors to share the costs and administrative tasks associated with the provision of social services. On the one hand, the government needs to become more efficient stewards of taxpayer dollars. On the other hand, companies need to examine the impact of a range of factors, from a better-educated workforce to improved environmental performance.

The degree to which young people engage successfully in their respective jobs and in their overall civic engagement will play a critical role in Bangladesh’s future progress. If young people are given the support they rightly deserve to maintain their commitment and motivation, Bangladesh can achieve inclusive growth. The coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement have taken the first steps towards a more inclusive and fair future.

TIM Nurul Kabir is a political and technology analyst.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.

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