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Gen Y are 'networked individuals'
Generation Y in Thailand share the same characteristics as the Generation Y elsewhere, including their focus on themselves, a survey has revealed.
Nevertheless, the man who conducted the survey, Bhubate Samutachak, assistant professor at the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University, said that did not necessarily mean Generation Y were selfish.
He labels it “networked individualism”, as we often see young people “hiding” in a corner seemingly looking alone but they’re actually conversing with a lot of friends through a mobile device.
And he said their preference to be “burden free” meant they had lifestyle flexibility. Unsurprisingly, Generation Y tended to delay their decision to get married or to get married at all.
But what was a surprise, Bhubate said, was that the survey of 1,320 students from 10 universities nationwide found that males want to have children at a younger age than females.
“Interestingly, we’ve found it is women who defer having a baby,” he said.
Some advertisers have picked up on this trend and created commercials that focus on fatherhood.
TCT boss is praying
Over the last 10 years, Thai tourism has been negatively impacted by many events such as the tsunami, bird flu, Sars, political strife, and the current martial law.
Yet the industry is expected to return to normal in the coming year, with the strong efforts of the authorities reassuring the sector.
Ittirit Kinglake, president of Tourism Council of Thailand, counts himself lucky – but he is still nervous.
“I think I’m the lucky one to not have faced a critical crisis yet compared to most ex-[TCT] presidents,” Ittirit said.
“But, in fact, I worry about future. If nothing happens, then I should be the happiest one and I pray for that. But if not, let’s see.”
Contributed by Pichaya Changsorn and Suchat Sritama.
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