Migracijska motivacija mladih Hrvatske kroz prizmu nekih stavova i mišljenja

Abstract

Croatia, as a traditionally emigrant country, has experienced large population emigrations since the 15th century, and this trend has continued until today. With Croatia’s entry into the European Union, the conditions for migrating have changed significantly, and it has never been easier to migrate, with the majority of people emigrating being young people of working age between the ages of 20 and 39. This is also evident from the net migration, that is, the difference in the number of immigrants and emigrants, which has shown a negative trend in the last few years. Knowing and understanding the emigration motives is one of the most important preconditions to being able to influence the factors that encourage young people to emigrate. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine the main emigration motives and their representation among young emigrants from Croatia through the prism of their attitudes and opinions. The research was conducted as part of the flzaJEDNO srce, jedna dusa, jedna Hrvatska« project, which was encouraged by the Humanitarian Association of Father Mladen HrkaÊ. The research focused on new emigrants to European countries, aged 18 to 40. The results show that, according to their statements and opinions, the motivation of youth from Croatia, in accordance with the theoretical framework, is based on the complementary effect of push and pull factors, whereby the pull factors are perceived as stronger motivational factors for the decision to migrate. This research, in addition to providing and expanding insight into the motivational factors of Croatian youth through their attitudes and opinions, emphasizes the necessity of further research and the expansion of scientific knowledge on which it is possible to base public policies.