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RESEARCH AND CHILDREN:Europe and Central Asia |
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Young Voices
How the research was carried out
In 2001, UNICEF carried out an extensive opinion poll of children in Europe and Central Asia, including 15,200 structured interviews with children aged 9-17 years from across the region. The survey was conducted in 35 countries and the UN-administered Province of Kosovo. Western Europe accounted for 3,600 interviews and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Baltic States accounted for the balance of 11,600 interviews. A total of 400 interviews were conducted per country, with the exception of the Russian Federation and Ukraine where 800 interviews were conducted in each. The interviews were conducted in children's homes, with the permission of their parents or guardians but not in their presence.
The children to be interviewed were selected according to these parameters - age, gender, geographical region and area (urban/rural) of the country in which they live, as well as the socio-economic status of their household. The number of children interviewed for each of these criteria was in direct proportion to the official child population figures for each country and a specific weight was given to each country reflecting the proportion of its children in the total child population of all countries surveyed. These measures ensured an accurate and representative sample.
All the information and responses collected from the children were entered into a database. Spontaneous answers to all open-ended questions were analysed and coded to permit processing of the data. Finally, the data recorded was processed, analysed and graphically presented.
What the research found
The results revealed that 59% of children report experiencing violent or aggressive behaviour in the home, with reports of such behaviour higher for eastern and central Europe and Central Asia: 61% of children in these regions reported violence, compared with 54% for western Europe. Eleven per cent of children reporting violence or aggressive behaviour at home say it occurs often (16% in the Western European countries polled). It is more likely to be reported by older children or those from larger families. Children further reported that parents scold, insult or beat them when they do something "wrong". 11% of the children stated that it happens "very/quite often".
In responding to the question, "Is talking a good solution to problems?", 47% asserted that talking is "always" a good solution, and a further 35% stated that it is "often" a good solution. Children across all ages gave similar answers. However, a difference on the basis of gender was evident: whereas 51% of girls in all countries affirmed that talking is "always" a good solution to problems, only 44% of boys shared this belief.
Children's responses to the question, "Is shouting a good solution to problems?" also demonstrated a preference for non-violent mediation. 58% of children responded that shouting is "never" a solution, and an additional 24% considered it to be only "rarely" a solution. Feedback on the following question, "Is hitting a good solution to problems?", further emphasises children's aversion to violence. 79% of all children affirmed that such actions are "never" a solution, and 11% stated that hitting is "rarely" a solution. Again, there was a clear gender-related difference in the results: 83% of girls stated that hitting was "never" a good solution, but only 75% of boys held this view.
UNICEF (2001), Young Voices Opinion Survey of Children and Young People in Europe and Central Asia
Further information available at: http://www.unicef.org/polls/eapro/index.html