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The Leap into Adulthood – presentation of report by Wrocław University of Science and Technology

The Leap into Adulthood – presentation of report by Wrocław University of Science and Technology
What guides young adults when they plan their future? What values do they hold? Where do they get their knowledge of the world from?
Answers to these and other questions can be found in “The Leap into Adulthood” report prepared by the IPC Research Institute at the request of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.
On 4 June, the Polish Press Agency headquarters hosted a debate and presentation of the report “The LEAP into ADULTHOOD – Priorities and Life Decisions of Young People.” The debate was attended by:

•  prof. dr hab. inż. Kamil Staniec – Vice-Rector for Education at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology;
•  prof. dr hab. n. med. Joanna Rymaszewska – a specialist in psychiatry, Head of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience of the Faculty of Medicine at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology;
•  dr Anna Borkowska – a psychologist, Deputy Director of the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, assistant professor at the Faculty of Management at the same University;
•  Milena Górecka – Head of the Unit of Education and Information Campaigns at the Office of Electronic Communications;
•  Joanna Jankowska – Research Leader from the IPC Research Institute.

The discussion was moderated by Karolina Słowik-Garbiak from Gazeta Wyborcza, a daily newspaper.

What does the report show?

•  84.4% of respondents believe they have a say in their future.
•  60.6% claim to have a plan for it.
•  They indicate family, health and well-being, and friends as the most important areas in their lives.
•  The main values as declared by them are honesty and integrity, relationships with people, and kindness.

Where do young people get their knowledge of the world from?

•  Students most often get their knowledge from the Internet (news portals, blogs, forums) – 68.4%; and from social media (TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) – 43.0%.
•  Interestingly, TV and family had equal results – 30.2% each.
•  Streaming platforms (Netflix, HBO GO, Disney+, etc.) were the least important source of information among the respondents – 6.9%.
•  A low percentage of the respondents used the option to specify also other sources of information – 0.5%. Such responses included: neighbour, boyfriend, friend, instant messaging or telephone.

The generation of people slowly entering adulthood – who have not yet developed habits of filtering and verifying information – is particularly vulnerable to manipulation. And manipulation has taken on astronomical proportions online in recent years. As stated by prof. dr hab. Joanna Rymaszewska: “It is also up to teachers and lecturers to indicate the most reliable sources, teach how to consciously use available knowledge, how to verify information and give it reflection upon receipt.” 
“This is all the more important because today authority online is not built with achievements and knowledge of a subject, but with the ability to trigger dopamine spikes in viewers, stimulating the reward system. That is why often persons who become opinion leaders for young people online have no qualifications, neither subject-related nor mental, to assume this role,” said Milena Górecka, Head of Unit at the UKE Department of Consumer Policy.

More on the report is available under this link: “The Leap into Adulthood,” a report on what young people think and what their plans are (pwr.edu.pl)