7. Youth in Transition: Navigating Expectations in the Post-COVID Era

Authors

Dunja Potočnik
Institute for Social Research in Zagreb
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1256-2660
Gordana Kuterovac Jagodić
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8186-5046
Minea Rutar
University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6692-4519
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18690/um.ff.7.2025.7

Synopsis

This chapter compares youth perceptions of societal norms in Croatia and Slovenia, revealing distinct mechanisms shaping their views. Croatian youth exhibit age-dependent patterns where growing autonomy influences the internalisation of societal expectations, leading to increasing self-confidence paired with a realistic reassessment of attainable life goals, particularly in education, housing, and financial independence. Slovenian youth, especially women, confront pronounced gender disparities rooted in structural inequities, burdening them with extensive societal and familial responsibilities. Both cohorts experience tension between individual aspirations and collective norms, with maturity prompting a shift from optimism to pragmatic evaluation of social milestones. Socioeconomic status (SES) strongly correlates with youths’ belief in personal success and adherence to societal expectations, with higher SES linked to greater confidence and internalisation, although national contexts mediate these effects. During the COVID-19 pandemic, age differences in justifying public health norms were minimal, but SES differences were significant, especially in Slovenia. Croatian youth showed less overall support for health measures but greater familial duty endorsement. 

Author Biographies

Dunja Potočnik, Institute for Social Research in Zagreb

Dr. Dunja Potočnik, is a Senior Research Associate in sociology at the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb, where she has worked since 2003. With over 20 years of experience, her research focuses on youth employment, social inclusion, well-being, migration, and ICT. She has participated in more than 40 research and expert projects, co-authored six and edited six books, and published numerous papers. Since 2010, she has been a member of the Pool of European Youth Researchers and currently serves on its Advisory Group. She is also a member of the European Commission’s Expert Group on research and innovation.

Zagreb, Croatia. E-mail: dunja@idi.hr

 

Gordana Kuterovac Jagodić, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology

Dr. Gordana Kuterovac Jagodić, is a tenured Full Professor of Developmental Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, where she previously served as Head of the Chair and the Department of Psychology. She teaches across all study levels and has supervised numerous theses. Her research addresses risk factors in child and youth development-such as war, pandemics, and social media-as well as developmental transitions and parenting. She has received several professional and scientific awards and is active in national and international projects. She serves on Croatian and European psychological boards and associations.

Zagreb, Croatia. E-mail: gkuterovac@ffzg.hr

Minea Rutar, University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts

Minea Rutar is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Psychology and a Research Assistant at the Departments of Psychology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Her research focuses on subjective well-being and mental health from cross-country and longitudinal perspectives. She is particularly interested in the quantitative analysis of socioeconomic and psychosocial determinants of youth mental health. Through her work, she contributes to a deeper understanding of the interplay between social conditions, psychological processes, and well-being among young people, with the aim of informing evidence-based approaches to youth mental health and social inclusion.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: minea.rutar@student.um.si

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Volume

Two Countries, One Crisis: The YO-VID22 Pandemic Study

Pages

157-184

Published

September 3, 2025

Categories

Copyright (c) 2025 University of Maribor, University of Maribor Press

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Potočnik, D., Kuterovac Jagodić, G., & Rutar, M. (2025). 7. Youth in Transition: Navigating Expectations in the Post-COVID Era. In A. Naterer & D. Potočnik (Eds.), Two Countries, One Crisis: The YO-VID22 Pandemic Study (pp. 157-184). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.ff.7.2025.7