Is WA going to be greener or greedier by the year 2010 ?
Can you guess what 1000 young (15-24 yo) Aussies answer ?
The Australian Science and Technology Council, as part of their Future Needs:2010 project, set up a Youth Partnership Study to find out just what our young people dream and expect for Australia in 2010.
The report, Having Our Say about The Future, is available now.
Interesting reading: some comments say gloom and doom. Some say improvement. Some don't have a clue.
This is Australia's future talking. Maybe we should listen. These young Aussies put a lot of serious thinking time and energy into the study's workshops and forums, proving they care a great ideal about where we as a nation are going.
Here are their 5 main beliefs about our future, from the national opinion poll of 800 fifteen to twenty four year olds :
- a slight majority (55%) believe the world's future is one of crisis and trouble; just below half (41%) believe the world will enter a new age of peace and prosperity
- one third (35%) believe the quality of life in Australia will improve; one third believe it will worsen; and one third believe it will be the same
- more than half expect the environment, the gap between rich and poor, and crime and violence will be worse in 2010
- pessimism about the future is more prevalent among females and in most cases increases with age in both females and males
- a large majority prefer a green scenario of the future to a growth
scenario:
- 63% said they expected a fast-paced, internationally competitive society
with an emphasis on the individual, wealth creation, and enjoying the
"good life"
- 81% said they preferred a greener more stable society with an emphasis on cooperation, community and family, more equal distribution of wealth and greater economic self-sufficiency.
- 63% said they expected a fast-paced, internationally competitive society
with an emphasis on the individual, wealth creation, and enjoying the
"good life"
Young people universally suggested in the discussions that there needs to be a fundamental reappraisal of community values and priorities.
Apparently those who are optimistic about Australia's future are greatly basing their optimism on the belief that this shift in values will occur.
Well, fellow managers, it seems our young people have thrown down a very serious and unequivocal gauntlet here. Are you up to their challenge ?
What are you doing to reappraise your community values and priorities? Are you really planning operate your business in a cooperative mode rather than a competitive one ?
I will whisper something to you that these young people, because of their lack of experience in the business world, do not know - the most successful business today aiming at the brightest futures are already operating on cooperation, not competition.
More info on how they are achieving this in my next column.
Business News 15 March 1996
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