20 > Next Generation Myanmar FIGURE 2 Figure 2: Importance of different things in life Family Health Money Work Religion Education Having a sense of meaning and purpose Protecting the environment Being able to fulfil my potential Safety and protection Community activities/service Feeling respected Hobbies Politics Friends Love relations 0 Values and identity Values and identity are inextricably linked. The people, communities and activities most important to youth inform the identities they hold close. In Myanmar, these identities carry significant weight, as the country debates what a national identity might look like. Some of these identities open youth to a greater chance of experiencing discrimination. Values in life Despite any frustrations with parental oversight, family was the most important value in the lives of youth surveyed (see Figure 2). Family was reported as ‘very important’ by 77.1 per cent of all respondents, with an additional 21.3 per cent saying family was ‘important’. Family was also equally important between male and female respondents, suggesting that while young men and women might feel differently about having an immediate family of their own, 20 40 60 80 Neither important nor unimportant Do not know Important Very unimportant Very important Unimportant both genders widely believe family comes before health, employment or safety – the concerns youth expressed about the future. Notably, those surveyed valued politics the least. Only 59.6 per cent of youth said politics was important or very important to their lives. In contrast, youth placed a comparatively high value on nonmaterial values: 92.9 per cent of youth said ‘having a sense of meaning and purpose in life’ was important or very important in life. A similar proportion felt the same about religion: about nine out of ten youth (92.1 per cent) said religion was important or very important in life. This proportion held across respondents of different religious backgrounds, with the exception of atheists. In interviews and group discussions, some youth expressed that they felt religion was secondary to personal values and accomplishments: ‘What is 100 Prefer not to say more important I believe is my personal identity. It is not the ethnicity or the religion. Focusing on your personal identity allow you to have better achievements,’ explained one 31-yearold from Shan State. Others felt their religion was an important part of identity. ‘I am proud of being Buddhist’ said a 27-year-old from Rakhine State. Many, however, felt that religious discrimination was not a significant problem in Myanmar. After expressing his pride, the man from Rakhine State added: ‘I do not underestimate the other religions.’ Others shared stories of their friends of other faiths, making a point to downplay the importance of any particular religion in Myanmar identity. ‘Love for Myanmar’s culture is another thing. I don’t think religion (belonging to one of the four main religions) in Myanmar do not matter to being a Myanmar.’ Female, Shan State, age 27