The virus rather spared them. But the crisis awaits them. Week after week, the 18-30 year olds gave us their feelings about confinement, their daily life and the “after” through the MoiJeune barometer that “20 Minutes” launched with HEYME and OpinionWay *. Hadrien Le Roux, president of Smerep and founder of HEYME student insurance, draws a contrasting assessment from these consultations.
Wave after wave, the MoiJeune barometer highlighted real discomfort among young people during the coronavirus crisis. 46% of 18-30 year olds fear, for example, for their mental health during confinement. Did you expect such discomfort?
Honestly, yes. Very quickly, many public health actors spoke of the risk of psychological distress faced by the youngest. This age group is both the one who normally has the most social relationships and the one who must remain confined to the smallest apartments. We know that this confinement is for a very large majority of them, and in particular the most precarious, a test. And I also think of foreign students trapped here, or French students confined abroad.
A psychological test that doubles as an economic test. 76% think that there will be more social inequalities at the end of this episode…
This is the second lesson. This health crisis will lead to an economic crisis and the youngest rightfully ask themselves a lot of questions. What will be the value of their bin? What will be the opportunities tomorrow? How to get hired, find an internship, a work-study program in these very specific conditions…
Can this increased precariousness have consequences for their health?
We have seen a phenomenon occur, which we did not imagine of this magnitude. When the government decided to switch the management of student social security to the various primary health insurance funds, the coverage rate for young people dropped drastically. We were more than 85% covered by complementary health insurance and in one year, we rose to 64%, which is not good news for them. Because when you can only rely on Social Security and you anticipate health costs that will not be reimbursed, you often turn to self-medication.
We see fewer doctors, we don't go to specialists. However, we know that certain minor minor infections of youth, if they are not treated in time, can become major pathologies much later. We could see that in March, young people continued to take out complementary health insurance, but in April, seeing the economic crisis coming, they reduced their healthcare costs. The risk is that this precariousness affects the health of young people.
86% of 18-30 year olds expressed their distrust of institutions. Have the authorities taken early notice of what is weighing on the youngest?
No but we can obviously hear that it was not their priority. The first thing to do was to manage the health crisis. Then tackle side crises that could have major repercussions later. We can understand this delay but this question must become a priority, especially if the economy does not start optimally for the youngest.
In the last wave of our barometer, 44% of young people think that French society post-Covid-19 will be worse than before. Did you expect such a figure?
I am more surprised by this figure. This generation is a major player in the change of societal model. We see it in his desire to consume differently, in his look at globalization. It is carried by a surge of hope towards a better society, with a living together reinvented. It is this optimism that I want to see.
But at the same time, how can we not imagine that the economic crisis which risks arriving and affecting the most precarious does not alter their ideals. If tomorrow we have difficulties in hiring, that summer jobs, seasonal jobs, all these sources of income are heavily impacted, the better future offered by today's youth will take second place. She will be forced to go back to basics. And the fundamentals are working, eating ...
Is this the main legacy to be expected from this period of confinement?
No, I believe that we will also keep very positive traces of the crisis that affects us. Youth was crossed by a deep movement of solidarity: young people wanted to help their elders, others wanted to support farmers, some wanted to work for hospitals ... This solidarity will continue.
Look how today we take the trouble to ask the strangers we meet how they are, how their confinement is going! We had lost these simple and warm relationships. I am convinced that this period brought us all back to a certain number of fundamentals. We all agree that “making society” has been lacking in recent years. This crisis can undoubtedly bring back a little more solidarity in a more open society.
* Barometer “#MeYoung, Confined and tomorrow? », HEYME - 20 Minutes - OpinionWay, produced online every week from April 3 to May 3, 2020 with a representative sample of 549 to 682 young people aged 18 to 30, according to the quota method.
If you are between 18 and 30 years old, you can take part in the “#MoiJeune” project, a series of surveys launched by 20 Minutes and built with and for young people. All the info to register online here.
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