The second publication on Youth Cultures in Catholic Universities is now available!

In 2012, CIRAD carried out the first global study on “Youth cultures in Catholic universities“, in which questions relating to values and the way in which students give meaning to their lives were central. The study, conducted online using a questionnaire available in 17 languages, is unprecedented both in its coverage (global) and in the areas covered (all aspects of young people’s lives). 

Following the success of this first study, IFCU-CIRAD launched in 2017 a second phase of this survey which extended the invitation to participate to all members. The study, carried out again five years later, addresses a double concern: 

– First, to deepen knowledge on the way in which young people attending Catholic universities construct the meaning of their life, positioning themselves in different ways vis-à-vis work, family, society and the world in general.

– Second, to contribute to the reflection and possible revision of institutional policies and teaching practices of universities, in an effort to continuously improve the quality and the services offered. 

Scientific direction of the study was provided by Professor Rosa Aparicio Gómez, Instituto Ortega y Gasset, Madrid, Spain. She headed a scientific committee which worked in close collaboration with the international committee of the project. 

CIRAD published the Working Document “Towards a better understanding of youth’s cultures and values” (available in English) which takes up, on the one hand, some of the trends that have emerged in recent years with regard to young people, their values, their interests, their beliefs, their attitudes. On the other hand, the document presents the results of the second phase of the global study on young people studying in Catholic universities, as well as a series of key questions aimed at provoking the reader’s reflection.

You can download the publication here.