National youth surveys are important tools to shed light on young people’s situations and provide policy makers with evidence. In Costa Rica, the National Council for Public Policy on Young People (CPJ), a decentralised body attached to the Ministry of Culture and Youth, has the mandate to promote research on young people, as stipulated in Law 8 261, Article 12. Within its mandate, the CPJ has undertaken national youth surveys in 2007, 2013 and 2018. These surveys aim to analyse young people’s perspectives on the exercise of their rights and provide insights to guide policies for young people between 15 and 35 years old.
National Youth Survey – Costa Rica
Abstract
The 2018 National Youth Survey design, field work, and data analysis was carried out by the School of Statistics of the University of Costa Rica as a cooperation for the Council of the Young Person. The sample size for each National Youth Survey is approximately 6 500 homes throughout the country. The questionnaire consists of around 100 questions, with a maximum of 5% open-ended questions. A pilot test is carried out with 50 interviews to evaluate and revise the questionnaire. The survey gathers data on young people on education, work, violence, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, participation, knowledge of institutions, compliance with rights, among other topics. Data is disaggregated by age and sex, at the national level and by MIDEPLAN regions. Survey results provide policy makers, academics and related authorities with the necessary scientific background for the development and improvement of policies for young people.
The results of the National Youth Surveys have been used as basis for different national policies on young people in different areas of action. The diagnosis of the situation of young people presented in the results of the 2018 survey guided the Youth Public Policy 2020-24. The 2013 and 2017 National Youth Surveys revealed that more than 55% of young people perceive a lack of access to closed sports facilities. The survey also revealed a gender gap in access to sports, with young women reporting 1 hour access to sports per week compared to 1 hour and 55 minutes for men. To improve young people’s access to sports, Costa Rica developed the National Policy on Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity 2020-30. The insights from the 2007 and 2018 surveys on the sexual and reproductive health of young people informed the second part of the National Sexuality Policy 2010-21 and the National Strategic Plan for the Health of Adolescents 2021-30. The 2007 survey revealed that among a national sample of adolescents aged 15 to 17, there was a notable prevalence of initial sexual experiences occurring between the ages of 10 and 13. This trend was more pronounced in rural areas compared to urban areas. Consequently, sexual abuse became a priority item in the government’s agenda, which led to the development of the Action Plan – Interinstitutional Council for Adolescent Mother Care 2012-16.
Further reading
Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud (2007) Primera Encuesta Nacional de Juventud 2007; Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud (2013), Secunda Encuesta Nacional de Juventud 2013; Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud (2018), Tercera Encuesta Nacional de Juventud 2018; Ministerio de Salud (2011), Policitica National de Sexualidad 2010-2021 II Parte; Ministerio de Salud (2012), Plan de Acción Consejo Interinstitucional de Atención Madre Adolescente2012-2016; Ministerio de Salud (2021), Plan Estratégico Nacional de Salud de las Personas Adolescentes.
This practice also supports the implementation of provision II.1, III.3 and IV.5 of the OECD Recommendation on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People.
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