GENEVA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Young people remain most concerned about the impact of climate change and the general destruction of nature, of all the issues affecting the world today, the World Economic Forum said Friday in a survey it conducted.
It was the third straight year that climate change was voted the most serious global issue, suggesting that young people are yet to be convinced by global efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, to tackle the problem.
The WEF's Global Shapers Annual Survey 2017 said that considering the current level of global instability, wars and inequality were listed as the second and third biggest concerns.
The survey noted that with more than half of the world's population under the age of 30, it will not be long before they will be making their voices heard.
Young people's influence will get stronger as they occupy an increasing proportion of the global workforce, voter base and their consumer spending power grows, said the WEF report.
Almost 25,000 people aged between 18 and 35 from 186 countries and territories took part in the Global Shapers Annual Survey 2017.
It showed that 55.9 percent of respondents believe their views are not being taken into account before important decisions are made.
There is a common misconception that millennials, the generic term for younger people, are work shy. The Global Shapers Annual Survey 2017 shows that young people are, in fact, very career orientated.
When asked to name the most important criteria when considering job opportunities, salary came out on top, followed by a sense of purpose and career advancement.
Only around 16 percent said they are willing to sacrifice career and salary to enjoy life.
To underscore the point that young people are not lazy, the survey found that the vast majority of respondents, 81.1 percent of them, would be willing to move overseas in order to advance their career.
The United States, Canada, the UK, Germany and Australia are seen as the most desirable countries to move to for job opportunities.
The results of the survey were compiled by the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Community.
