Youth and COVID-19: Response, Recovery and Resilience

"Involving youth stakeholders from diverse backgrounds can rebuild trust, generate their interest in politics and integrate long-term considerations in crisis response and recovery strategies."

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) evidence demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted vulnerable groups disproportionately and is likely to exacerbate existing inequalities. Based on findings from an online survey run by the OECD between April 7-20 2020 from 90 youth organisations from 48 countries, this policy brief looks at the impact of the crisis on young people (aged 15-24), as well as its implications for intergenerational solidarity and justice. It outlines practical measures governments can take to design inclusive and fair COVID-19 recovery measures.

First, the policy brief presents an assessment of the immediate, medium, and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and vulnerable groups. Most governments in OECD countries have implemented social distancing, confinement, and social isolation measures to contain the spread of the virus; these measures have had consequences for young people. The youth organisations surveyed expressed greatest concern about the impact of COVID-19 on mental well-being, employment, income loss, and disruptions to education, familial relations, and friendships, as well as a limitation to individual freedoms. A significant share of respondents also expressed concerns about access to reliable information. For instance, youth are more likely to use social media as their main source of news, which accounts for 88% of the misinformation related to the pandemic (Brennen, 2020). This increases the likelihood of young people to be exposed to disinformation, while also raising fears and undermining trust.

When asked about the long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, surveyed youth-led organisations from OECD countries expressed greatest concerns about the well-being of the elderly. This was followed by negative prospects for international co-operation, the well-being of youth, the spread of disinformation (fake news), increasing levels of public debt and racial discrimination, and intergenerational solidarity. A similar picture emerges when the views of youth-led organisations in non-OECD countries are considered.

Second, the brief outlines elements for an integrated public governance approach for a fair and inclusive recovery and resilience. Trust here is key; per OECD: "Building trust among young people remains crucial to create buy-in and determine the success of response and recovery measures in the long-term. The forthcoming OECD Global Report on Youth Empowerment and Intergenerational Justice (OECD, 2020...) demonstrates that public governance is instrumental in building trust among young people, supporting their transition to an autonomous life, strengthening their relationship with public institutions, and ensuring intergenerational justice. Indeed, OECD evidence shows that public governance measures that promote, among others, principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation are strong predictors of trust in institutions....In the context of COVID-19, these principles are preconditions to build back better."

Snapshot data show that, on aggregate, trust in government has decreased for 21% of the youth organisations surveyed. The way in which governments have responded has been a driver of trust, both positively and negatively, as reported here. In line with the OECD Trust Framework (OECD, 2017), the elements highlighted by survey respondents point to the importance of government's responsiveness (e.g., ensuring access to public services during the pandemic through digital means, among others) and reliability (e.g,. providing emergency measures based on evidence). Young respondents also pointed to the significance of integrity, openness (e.g., the provision of clear and open data), and fairness (e.g., support to the most vulnerable).

The brief goes on to detail the role of public governance for a fair recovery and sustained resilience. Topics covered here include: a government-wide commitment for intergenerational justice; national youth strategies; tools to deliver for all generations; institutional co-ordination to put words into action; inclusive decision-making (e.g., digital initiatives, such as virtual hackathons to engage young citizens in the government's COVID-19 response and recovery efforts); and government strategies and youth resilience. On the latter topic: "The COVID-19 crisis has proven that youth workers, youth organisations as well as non-organised youth can be partners in providing support to people's well-being, especially for vulnerable groups and for people that are unlikely to be aware of relevant government services and support." For instance, the Italian youth-led non-governmental organisation (NGO) "Nous" disseminated videos in different languages to inform individuals facing language barriers about the measures taken by the government.

Third, and along those lines, the brief explores the role of young people as catalysts of inclusive and resilient societies in crisis response, recovery, and in preparation of future shocks. As the survey found, youth organisations have swiftly stepped in to disseminate information (e.g., through online campaigns) among their peers and help contain the spread of the virus. They also provided access to educational, peer-to-peer mental health advice and other programmes to support adolescents and young adults in confinement. More than half of organisations have turned to digital and online tools to provide practical advice to young people on how to deal with mental and physical health, stigma, and discrimination. For instance, to combat false information in the wake of the crisis, youth organisations launched the international campaign #youthagainstcovid19 to map and share myth-busting, fact-checking websites, and resources. Similar campaigns were launched at the national level, such as #QuédateEnCasa in Mexico.

Key policy recommendations OECD advances with the view of recovering well from the pandemic, for all generations:

• Apply a youth and intergenerational lens in crisis response and recovery measures across the public administration.
• Update national youth strategies in collaboration with youth stakeholders to translate political commitment into actionable programmes.
• Partner with national statistical offices and research institutes to gather disaggregated evidence on the impact of the crisis by age group to track inequalities and inform decision-making (in addition to other identity factors such as sex, educational and socio-economical background, and employment status).
• Anticipate the distributional effects of rulemaking and the allocation of public resources across different age cohorts by using impact assessments and creating or strengthening institutions to monitor the consequences on today's young people and future generations.
• Promote age diversity in public consultations and state institutions to reflect the needs and concerns of different age cohorts in decision-making.
• Leverage young people's mobilisation in mitigating the crisis through existing mechanisms, tools, and platforms (e.g., the use of digital tools and data) to build resilience in societies against future shocks and disasters.
• Align short-term emergency responses with investments into long-term economic, social, and environmental objectives to ensure the well-being of future generations.
• Provide targeted policies and services for the most vulnerable youth populations, including: young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs); young migrants; homeless youth; and young women, adolescents, and children facing increased risks of domestic violence.

In conclusion: "Young people can act as a 'connective tissue' in public institutions, decision-making processes and public consultations to bridge short-term concerns and long-term objectives and build more fair and inclusive policy outcomes and societal resilience (OECD, 2018...). Building resilience and anti-fragility of public institutions and empowering young people should therefore be pursued in tandem."

This summary was written by The Communication Initiative and was not included in the original, English version titled "Youth and COVID-19: Response, recovery and resilience". The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein are entirely those of The Communication Initiative's editors and should not be attributed in any manner to the OECD or its member countries.