Teenagers feel most worried about their futures, although the group’s average “pain index” showed a slight improvement this year, according to a recent survey published by the Tosun Public Interest Foundation.
The overall average pain index among local teens fell by 1.7 points from last year to 60.1 on a scale of 0-100, with the future again cited as the most worrying aspect by respondents.
Teens appear to be most concerned about future job -opportunities and their basic livelihoods amid the widening wealth gap, with fear of the difficulty of moving up the social ladder and finding employment scoring the highest and third-highest, according to the report.
Of the 20 items on the questionnaire, severe environmental pollution was ranked second in concern among the respondents, while the chaotic political environment and insecurity over law and order rounded out the top five.
However, the other four of the five categories on the index, including government performance, social context, family and school, all saw a decline in scores from a year earlier.
The main reason for the results could be that teenagers this year have become less sensitive about the situations or have grown accustomed to their environment, the foundation said.
The index, published for the 11th year, voiced the opinions of the younger generation who do not yet have the right to vote, in the run-up to the Jan. 14 presidential and legislative elections, said Tosun Public Interest Foundation chairman Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪), a former minister of justice.
“The feelings among young people not only reflect those of the general public, but also show their expectations for the nation’s development,” Liao added.
The survey collected 2,391 valid questionnaires from 25 junior and senior high schools and vocational schools around Taiwan. It had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.04 percentage points.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS