About the survey

• The Young Voices poll surveyed children and adolescents from 26 States in transition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Baltic States and nine countries in Western Europe.

It's recess at a school in the town of Mostar, FR Yugoslavia.

The largest and most ambitious survey ever taken among children in Europe and Central Asia, the findings provide a fascinating portrait of their views, concerns, hopes and dreams. It also provides some disturbing insights into a world children and young people see as marked by violence, injustice and discrimination.

The poll is based on face-to-face interviews with 15,200 children, between the ages of 9 and 17, conducted between December 2000 and February 2001 by one of the largest polling companies in the world, GfK Group.

Learn more about the

of the survey!

The results reflect the voices of over 93 million children from 35 countries in the region on issues related to their rights. (Source: UNICEF press release)

The major objectives were to:

• Promote the participation of children and young people by giving them the opportunity to have their opinions, views and concerns heard and widely shared with their governments, families and the public at large.

• Identify the problems and issues that children and young people themselves see as priorities.

• Complement existing quantitative and qualitative research with data and information that will assist UNICEF and its partners to develop stronger and more relevant situation analyses, policies and programmes.

• Help governments, NGOs, community groups, teachers, business leaders, the media and young people themselves to gain a better understanding of children's perceptions regarding their rights and key areas in need of improvement and change.

• Provide information for effective democracy and good governance.

• Provide input to the Conference on Children in Europe and Central Asia (Berlin, 16-18 May 2001) and the United Nations Special Session on Children (New York, 8-10 May, 2003).

• Contribute to building the Global Movement for Children.

The Young Voices poll was grounded in the deep conviction that the opinions of young people must be considered on matters that affect them and that their voices must be heard by those shaping the world they will inherit.

For more information on the Europe and Central Asia Survey, contact Robert Cohen, Regional Communication Officer, Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe, Comm. Of Ind. States and Baltic States.