Młodzież wiejska Małopolski w procesie transformacji ustrojowej

Young people of rural Malopolska in the political system transformation process; the present situation, aspirations, prospects

The article presents the results of studies on young inhabitants of rural south-east Poland (Malopolska). The region is densely populated and characteristic for small size of farms and limited contribution of proceeds from farming into the income structure of rural population, as majority of this population depend on support from jobs outside agriculture or from welfare benefits. The main problem of rural Malopolska is shortage of jobs and unemployment hidden in the structure of agriculture the effect of which is poor use of local human resources. The situation of young people joining the labour force is particularly difficult in this area. The studies were conducted in the years 1999-2000 by interviewing randomly selected inhabitants of Villages, aged 16-22, in nine rural communities representing different levels of urbanisation. The total size of the tested sample was 998 people. The subject of study are both the present activities of the young people (work against compensation, continuing education, work on a farm) and their occupational aspirations as well as opinions and views on issues connected with the social and economic development of the whole country and the rural Malopolska.