1 The Ideological Composition of Young Adults in Pakistan Abstract Young people, especially students, have exerted a potent influence in today's world. As global connectivity expands, young people's attitudes, behaviors and beliefs are informed by a myriad of factors that extend beyond their immediate environment. While youth can be a liberating time, it is also defining as young people struggle to establish a sense of self and find their place in society. This literature review seeks to assess exploratory studies that have sought to assess young people's core values, perceptions, opinions, and identities through mixed methods approaches. By drawing upon their findings, we seek to formulate a survey to understand the ideological composition of young adults studying in Pakistani universities, assessing the similarities and differences in how they think. These students will fall within the age bracket of 18-25 and belong to the following universities: LUMS, BNU, UCP, and Punjab University. By identifying patterns in their answers, we seek to develop a thorough understanding of their (i) social opinions and attitudes, (ii) political views, (ii) career aspirations and inhibitions and (iii) mental health challenges, and (iv) lifestyle choices. We will particularly be mindful of how these differ between students owing to differences in gender, socio-economic status, and study path. Literature Review Study 1: “How are Chinese Students Ideologically Divided? A Survey of Chinese College Students' Political Self-Identification?” This study, based on a survey of students from six top institutions, examines the political identities of young Chinese people and the variables that shape them. Students were asked to categorize their political identities on a scale by adopting a direct measurement method whereby students self-reported their political orientation choosing between Liberal, Nationalist, Other, or None. The idea of self-reporting serves as an internalized label that activates the individual's ideology. The study revealed that among Chinese students, liberal opinions continue to have the most influence. There may be two sociological factors at play here. First, students in China continue to live under an authoritarian regime whose numerous prohibitions on citizens' political activity have served as a constant reminder of the value of freedom and limited government. Second, liberal speech continues to predominate in the classroom despite heated arguments between liberals and New Leftists/Nationalists in the Chinese media. 2 An important facet of this study understands how students' loyalties to specific political ideas are influenced by their socialization experiences and demographic backgrounds such as gender, educational background, family income, political engagement, and media preferences. The research found that social science students were 44 % more likely to self-identify as liberals than those in the physical sciences and engineering, owing to their exposure to Western ideologies. Study 3: “Young Adults in Modern Society: Changing Status and Values" This study explores two popular research findings which summarize the youth in two distinct categories while providing updated, modern counter-arguments to the shift in the youth's behavior. Yankelovich (1972) distinguished between two groups of young people when evaluating the shifting values: "forerunners" and the "practically-minded." According to Havighurst's (1975) estimation, the forerunners represent 20% of people between the ages of 15 and 25. They differ from their parents more frequently regarding social and political concerns; they want social changes that disregard consumerism in society and emphasize values of creativity and the arts. One division of the forerunners in the "dissenters" and "young radicals." They favor expressive ideals and want to utilize their education to critique society rather than to support a technologically advanced, growth-oriented society. On the one hand, the pragmatically inclined are, in the opinion of Havighurst (1975), those who support the ideals of efficiency, drive for success, materialism, and civic duty. He estimates that they make up about 60% of the youth aged 15 to 25. The "left-outs," less intelligent and eloquent members of the "new underclass," make up the remaining 20% of the population. However, this study finds that today's youth identifies with the values of both groups. They recognize the diversity of their experiences and believe in the right to disagree, have a greater say in situations that affect them, adopt a plurality of societal values, and have the right to make independent decisions. Study 4: “The Values and Attitudes of Young People" This research were conducted at Charles University in Prague and Mendel University in Brntoto to form a comparative analysis between the responses of both student bodies. The adopted focus was on values that correspond well with future job market prospects. The focus is on the selected aspects of values that might correspond to future job market success. The questions answered under the focus were as follows: 1. Are students' values different because they pursue different academic majors, or are they similar because they are in the same age cohort? 3 2. Are there significant disparities in the value orientation of the group of economic students, or are they all similar? 3. Can we use this information to manage education better and properly prepare students for their future careers? The findings suggested that students at the FBE in Brno are less ‘liberal’ than those at the FH in Prague. These students come from homes with parents with similar education levels, but they have distinct ideas about the kind of society they would like to live in. Given the gender variations in the ideal society picture, it appears that economic students are more diverse. Study 5: “Political Ideology of Youth” This study is only relevant in terms of the methods used. It uses an aggregate measure of ideological positioning scaled from 0 (most conservative) to 400 (most progressive), divided between 40 ideological statements (10 under four categories each). A mean ideological score is then derived from each category. The overall structure we wish to adopt from it is to construct a questionnaire that evaluates the four broad headings of our research and then allot a score to them and categorize them according to a scale. This method can be adopted in our survey to align with socio-political attitudes instead. Study 6: “A longitudinal cohort study to explore the relationship between depression, anxiety and academic performance among Emirati university students” Depression and anxiety are typical among college students, and both have been found to impair cognitive function. It is unclear, nevertheless, how these emotional issues may affect academic success. Findings from this study will aid us in understanding how to design a survey that determines depression and anxiety among university students, primarily rooted in students' academic achievement and emotional struggles. This longitudinal study surveyed 404 students (aged 17–25 years) attending one UAE university. Participants completed a survey on paper to evaluate socioeconomic characteristics and academic performance, including the most recent grade point average (GPA) and attendance warnings. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 measures. One hundred thirty-four individuals (33.3%) who underwent a six-month follow-up revealed their current GPA. Participants completed a survey on paper to evaluate socioeconomic characteristics and academic performance, including the most recent grade point average (GPA) and attendance warnings. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 measures. One hundred thirty-four individuals (33.3%) who underwent a six-month follow-up revealed their current GPA. 4 Study 7: “Nationalism, Patriotism and Foreign Policy Attitudes among Chinese University Students” In this study, students at the Renmin University of China, Peking University, and Tsinghua University were polled on their views on the many facets of national identity. These institutions were picked due to their reputation and the expectation that the graduates would play essential roles in society. Participants were asked to rate their level of nationalism and patriotism on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 5 ("strongly agree") to 1 ("strongly disagree"). On the patriotism scale, statement one had a four-point scale ranging from 1 ("not at all proud") to 4 ("extremely proud"). Statement two was evaluated using a scale where one meant "not at all close," and four said "extremely close." These methods can be adopted in our survey to measure students’ opinions about their future in Pakistan: Is there a strong desire or tendency to migrate? Is this desire motivated by gender differentials? Or by career growth aspirations? Do students identify more with Western ideologies and ways of living, opting to build a life there instead of here? Are these concerns motivated by the current economic state of the country? 5 Works Cited 1. Lin, Fen and Sun, Yanfei and Yang, Hongxing, How Are Chinese Students Ideologically Divided? A Survey of Chinese College Students' Political Self-Identification (March 1, 2015). Pacific Affairs, Volume 88, Number 1, 2015, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2925075 2. Eva Abramuszkinová Pavlíková & Michaela Šmídová, 2017. "The Values and Attitudes of Young People," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 65(6), pages 1823-1832. 3. Husén, Torsten. "Young Adults in Modern Society: Changing Status and Values". Oxford Review of Education, 1987, Vol. 13, No. 2 (1987), pp. 165-176. Taylor & Francis, Ltd. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1050130 4. “The Political Ideology of Youth”. A National Study of Political Values and Beliefs Among 18- to 29-Year-Old Adults Center for American Progress. 5. Awadalla, Suheir. “A longitudinal cohort study to explore the relationship between depression, anxiety and academic performance among Emirati university students.” BMC Psychiatry. https://d-nb.info/1220588628/34 6. Sinkkonen, Elina. “Nationalism, Patriotism and Foreign Policy Attitudes among Chinese University Students.” Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. The China Quarterly (London), 2013, Vol.216 (216), p.1045-1063.
