Sreten Jelic

Subjective Poverty of Youth in Rural Areasof Serbia

Poverty is a complex phenomenon faced by youth too. The purpose of this research is to determine the presence of the problem of poverty among youth in rural areas of Serbia. Survey has been conducted in five villages of Paraćin municipality. Exactly 98 young men and women took part in the survey, ages between 20 and 34, and they were asked to answer questions regarding poverty, to estimate their own poverty, and their own social exclusion. Desk research was supplemented with empirical research in the mentioned areas. Results of research conducted in the field are represented in the second part of this paper. In order to perceive the position and poverty of youth, their satisfaction with their living environment, and social exclusion of youth, we relied on the questionnaire that enables expressing subjective welfare. Data obtained through research indicate that one in ten subjects of the survey is poor. The surveyed subjects belonging to the oldest age group (30-34 years of age) and residents of settlements in the vicinity of municipality’s center are in a more unfavorable position. Survey results show that the young in rural areas have been facing the problem of their own poverty to a great extend during their lives. Social exclusion was recorded with 42% of the subjects, who claimed that they had felt isolated from the community at some point in the past two years, due to lack of money.