Are we failing our youth?

FOR THE third year in a row, Deloitte collaborated with US-based non-governmental organization, the Social Progress Imperative, in measuring social progress around the world through the Social Progress Index (SPI).

The SPI is the first comprehensive framework for measuring social progress—the capacity of a society to, among other things, create the conditions that will allow all individuals to reach their full potential—independent of gross domestic product (GDP), but complementary to it.

The world’s SPI score improved, albeit marginally, from 61.00 last year to 62.88 in 2016. This would rank the world somewhere in between Kyrgyzstan (79th) and Mongolia (80th).

Looking at the components, the world’s score improved on 8 of 12 components, scoring highest in Nutrition, Basic Medical Care (88.63) and Access to Basic Knowledge (85.03).

Now for the bad news.

Younger people are losing out in the march towards a better quality of life.

Based on their SPI scores, countries covered by the study are categorized as having Very High Social Progress (e.g., Finland, which landed at the top of this year’s index with a score of 90.09), High Social Progress (e.g., Japan, which is ranked 14), Upper Middle Social Progress (e.g., Thailand, which is ranked 61), Lower Middle Social Progress (e.g., the Philippines, which is ranked 68), Low Social Progress (e.g., Cambodia, which is ranked 97), or Very Low Social Progress (e.g., Central African Republic, which is the lowest ranked country with a score of 30.03).
This year’s results showed nearly 40 percent of the world’s people who are older than 55 live in countries classified as upper middle social progress or better; just 22 percent of people aged under 25 do so.

Today’s youth are thus more likely live in countries that lack basic medical care and clean water, that are less safe, that are less tolerant, that are less free.

Much has been said about the Philippines benefiting from its large population of young people.

The country is said to be approaching that demographic “sweet spot,” when the people of working age greatly outnumber those who are considered dependents.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that we will achieve that ideal in 2050, if we carve the right path toward it now. The country’s SPI results suggest the efforts are hit and miss.

Although the Philippines scored above the global average for Opportunity—55.81 compared to the global average of 48.24—this is a decline from our 2015 score of 59.30.
This year, our scores across all four components under this dimension are down from the previous year, but there are bright spots that we can build on.
Access to Advanced Education continues to be a relative strength for the Philippines compared to its peer countries.

The Philippines also emerged as an over-performer in the Personal Freedom and Choice component, which includes Freedom over life choices and Freedom of religion.

One of the goals of the SPI is to provide citizens and leaders a more complete picture of how their country is developing. Obviously, there will always be room for improvement on so many fronts, but this year’s findings regarding young people living in low social progress nations should, I think, resonate with Filipinos considering our own very young population.

We have the data to point us in the right direction—what we’re doing right and what needs more work. So there’s no excuse for inaction.
(The author is the Managing Partner & CEO of Navarro Amper & Co., the Philippine member firm of Deloitte Southeast Asia Ltd.)