ASTANA – Kazakhstan ranks fourth among 41 countries for youth optimism about the future, with a score of 4.17 out of five, according to a global survey by Oxford Scholastica Academy, a UK-based provider of academic summer programs.
Photo credit: The Astana Times
The study collected responses from 1,433 students across 41 countries, assessing their optimism across five areas: personal prospects, the economy, the environment, politics and the future of society.
Kazakhstan recorded particularly high scores for personal optimism (4.71) and economic confidence (4.56), while its political optimism score of 3.76 was the third-highest among the countries surveyed.
Sri Lanka ranked first with an overall score of 4.32, followed by Kenya at 4.31 and Nepal at 4.24. Kazakhstan placed ahead of Cyprus (4.09), Canada (4.08), Nigeria (4.08), Indonesia (4.07), Russia (4.07) and Armenia (4.06).
Personal and economic prospects drive optimism
Globally, young people expressed the greatest optimism about their personal futures, with an average score of 4.4 out of five. Political optimism was the lowest-rated category, averaging 3.29.
Nepal recorded the highest personal optimism score of 5, while Kenya had the highest political optimism score at 3.96. Sri Lanka led in environmental optimism, with 4.62, and also ranked among the highest for confidence in the future of society.
Among Western countries, Canada ranked highest at sixth place, followed by the United States, which scored 3.99 overall. The United Kingdom placed 33rd with a score of 3.61, while Germany ranked higher at 3.73 and France scored 3.22.
Survey highlights differences in political confidence
Kuwait ranked last among the 41 countries, with an overall score of 2.92. Its students recorded the lowest political optimism score at 1.80 and the lowest score for confidence in the future of society at 2.40.
Rwanda ranked 40th with 3.20, followed by Türkiye and France, both scoring 3.22. France recorded the lowest environmental optimism score in the survey at 2.25, while Poland had the second-lowest political optimism score at 2.30.
Commenting on the findings, Lavinia Abell, co-director of Oxford Scholastica Academy, said young people face numerous uncertainties, including the rise of artificial intelligence, conflicts and the increasing cost of living.
“In every aspect of society, there are things to be anxious and pessimistic about. This could be the rise in AI, war, the cost-of-living increasing and much more. This will be especially worrisome for young people, facing challenges as they enter the world of work. What this study highlights is the attitudes of each nationality towards these uncertainties,” she said.
Abell also pointed to the relatively low levels of political optimism among young people in some European countries.
“What is particularly striking is how low Italy’s political optimism scores are compared to other European nations. Even France and Poland, which also rank near the bottom, show slightly different patterns,” she said.
The survey included countries with at least five student respondents. Participants rated their optimism in five categories on a scale of one to five, with overall scores calculated as the average across all categories.
