Damascus, (SANA)Revolution Youth Union (RYU) started in 2006 a study on the situation of the youth and their most important needs and directives towards their basic issues. The study has been published lately to set a modern and integrated database about the situation of youths and enrich efforts aiming at developing a national strategy for youths in order to diagnose and analyze it and set plans and proper programs to treat it in cooperation and coordination with the bodies concerned in youth issues.

The study covered youths' employment, the educational and health situation, marriage, family life, interests, propensities, relations with the media and technology and communications, and the basic characteristics of their geographical variety.  Concerning the development of youth growth rate, the study showed that the number of youths from 13 to 35 years old has increased from 5, 7 millions in 1994 to 7, 6 millions in 2004, 196, 6 persons annually.The study also showed that the number of youths in the total population has increased from 41, 1% to 42,7% in the years aforementioned.Youth growth rate exceeded by 3% in comparison with the population growth rate which is 2, 59% because of fertility growth rate.

The study showed that youth cover a wide range of age including groups of different characteristics and aspects. Although the youth issues and needs are mutual, the types of those issues and needs and priorities are different in those groups.

The study also showed that for every 100 young women there are 102, 7 young men in 1994.Youths play an important role in the economic and social development process since they are the most important factor in work and production. The study showed that 24,1 % of youths are practicing an economic activity and the rest are unemployed such as students and housewives and the disabled.

The study showed that female workers are 17.9 % of the total youth number, and 82, 1% are male workers.

The study also included the geographical variety of youths, and it showed that 52.2% between the ages of 13 and 35 live in four governorates namely Damascus and Damascus Countryside, Aleppo, and Homs, and the rest of them live in the other governorates. The study also showed that percentage of youths who live in cities is 52, 3%, and those living in the province are 47, 7%.

It was noticed that the average of youths working at public sector increased from 18% in 2002 to 26.7% in 2006.

Regarding the youths' educational situation, it has become clear that education is playing a key role in development process and providing the fields needed for labor market.

As for culture and information, the study indicated that males read newspapers more than females and 4.7% of the total youths read local newspapers, whereas 7.1% read them once or twice a week.

The study also indicated that 48.2% watch the Syrian satellite channel whereas 42.9% watch the main channel and 28.7% watch the second channel every day. The report said that 27.1% of the total youths listen to Sawt al-Shabab Radio Station whereas 6.7 % listen to the main program and 8.7% listen to Sawt al-Shaab.   A lot of youths considered unemployment as the most dangerous problem facing them after family separation, education, residence and marriage.

Fadi Allafi/ Reem /Mazen