Next Generation Myanmar > 31 Figure 10: Importance in life, community activities/service No education, primary school Middle school (Grade 6–9) High school (Grade 10–11), vocational training University/college, postgrad Sample (all education levels) 0 This view was especially pronounced among educated survey respondents. Youth with university or high school educations were more likely to say community activities or service are important in life than their less-educated peers (see Figure 10). They were more likely to say that ‘contributing to my society/community’ is an important goal for their future, and more likely to agree that youth have a responsibility to involve themselves in addressing community issues. Among youth surveyed in this study, higher levels of education were closely correlated with a greater emphasis placed on social engagement. 20 40 60 Neither important nor unimportant Do not know Important Unimportant In interviews, many youth with higher levels of education acknowledged that their opportunities had shaped their perspective towards social engagement. Some shared how their education or travel opportunities had sparked their interest in civic activity. Many of these youth felt this interest was not widely shared among their peers, reporting that relatively few youth volunteered in civic activities. In the words of one 21-year-old in Hpa-an, ‘I think that youth are not so interested in social work. They rather [prefer] entertainment and recreative activities. They may also not have access enough to the information. Some youth have appropriate contact, but they are just not interested.’ 80 100 Prefer not to say Survey results, however, suggest otherwise. Of those surveyed, 85.1 per cent across all education levels agreed that youth had a responsibility to involve themselves in addressing community issues (see Figure 11). In fact, survey respondents from rural areas were more likely to agree that such a responsibility exists than their urban peers. While education may strengthen one’s conviction, the vast majority of youth value social engagement, regardless of their education or background. What then are the major factors in limiting youth participation?