Myanmar in transition
Next Generation studies are conducted
in countries experiencing a period of
significant change. With its complex
democratic transition and ongoing
peace process, Myanmar is changing in
significant ways. Though several studies
explore the role that youth play in these
transitions (see Paung Sie Facility, 2017),
few detail how youth in Myanmar have
come to understand them.
The Next Generation Myanmar study
includes questions about Myanmar’s
political changes and peace process, as
well as the various actors within them.
These questions assess how confident
youth are in the country’s changing
institutions, and whether or not they see
these changes as improvements. They
also explore the extent to which youth
feel involved in the country’s changes.
Myanmar in the world
Over the last decade, Myanmar has
opened to the world, and the world has
opened to Myanmar. Myanmar once
commanded near-prodigal hopes from
the international community, not least
due to Aung San Suu Kyi’s international
status as a democracy icon. The
situation in Rakhine State after August
2017 has damaged such expectations.
Deteriorating circumstances have
marred the country’s reputation abroad,
sparked defensive nationalist reactions
domestically, and caused concerned
countries to question Myanmar’s
commitment to reform (Fisher, 2017).
While many reports of the situation
in Rakhine State include opinions from
the public, few account for youth
specifically. The Next Generation
Myanmar study includes questions that
ask youth to reflect on Myanmar’s
relations with other countries, how they
feel about external criticism of Myanmar,
and how important Myanmar’s global
standing is to them.