The Future is Bright? Malaysian Youths are Optimistic
A recent survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute indicates that youths in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, are generally optimistic about their future despite facing challenges.

MALAYSIA is not doing so badly.
That is what one would gather based on a recently released survey report by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, of which I am one of the co-authors. We surveyed 3,081 Southeast Asian youths studying at institutes of higher education to gauge their perceptions and engagement with civic-political issues.
This survey has received attention across the region with coverage in media outlets such as South China Morning Post, Channel News Asia, and BBC Indonesia. We should also inform Malaysians about our findings.
Overall, our findings indicate that youths in Southeast Asia are generally optimistic about their future, even in the face of concerns about basic necessities. Of course there are national variations.
When it comes to optimism over the country’s economic outlook, 84.1 per cent of Malaysians strongly agree or agree with the statement that “I am optimistic about my country’s economic future over the next five years.” This is above the regional average of 76.5 per cent.
While the current political opposition would like to frame Malaysia as regressing economically, the educated youth we surveyed seem to have a sense of confidence in the current administration’s ability to improve Malaysia’s economy. There is no denying that sentiment is affected by the lived experience of Malaysians, and there are people, including the youth, who are facing challenges such as unemployment, low wages, and high costs of certain goods.
We should not diminish the difficulties they are facing.
However, when viewed holistically, the Malaysian economy exhibits promising prospects. In the last quarter of 2024, the country's GDP grew by 4.8 per cent, lower than the 5.1 per cent forecast. Despite this, the full-year growth for 2024 reached 5.1 per cent, showing a strong recovery from 2023's 3.6 per cent growth.
In addition, Malaysia’s approved Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) reaches RM160 billion in the first half of 2024, an increase of 18 per cent from the previous year. This would help spur job growth and businesses. Perhaps it is these numbers that are giving (educated) Malaysian youths optimism about the nation’s future.
When it comes to perceptions of the political system, 57.1 per cent of Malaysian youth surveyed are satisfied with the way it is working. This is behind Singapore’s 89.1 per cent and Vietnam’s 83.7 per cent, but definitely ahead of Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, which have more respondents saying they are not satisfied than satisfied.
This data was pointed out as surprising given that Malaysia has had four prime ministers in the short span of a few years since 2018. However, we argue that since the survey was conducted in 2024, Malaysian youth are beginning to appreciate the relative stability provided by the unity government, which has been in place since 2022.
Again, while the Opposition claims they could change the government midterm, most Malaysians do not appreciate the instability it would cause. But more than that, most Malaysians understand it is not an effortless feat and that this government appears set to finish its term in 2027.
We acknowledge that 41.5 per cent of Malaysian respondents are not satisfied with the political system, showing some kind of polarisation among the youth.
To support the publication of our report, ISEAS recently conducted a symposium to reflect on our quantitative survey. Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was present as one of our distinguished speakers.
During the discussion, Syed Saddiq made a suggestion that the way forward for Malaysia is to have a “North Star.” Having a "North Star" means having a consistent point of reference or inspiration to guide decisions and actions, ensuring that the youth stay aligned and committed to the same objectives. It’s about having a long-term vision or purpose that helps Malaysia navigate through challenges and uncertainties.
The former Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president asserted that Malaysia once had that in Wawasan 2020.
The issue with Wawasan 2020 is that, despite the idea's praise, we failed to meet expectations, and the year 2020 ended with the situation deteriorating. The election of Pakatan Harapan and the pandemic actually caused further friction within society, and we are further away from the idea of a Bangsa Malaysia.
Wawasan 2020 should be revived.
Naturally, a new name would be appropriate. Malaysia Madani, however, is not sufficient because it is difficult to get buy-in from average Malaysians. The nation’s vision should be simple enough and easily understood. It should not be something that requires a group of academics and intellectuals to explain for a good hour before people can understand what it is.
So when Saddiq mentioned this idea of a “North Star,” I said to him good luck. I agree wholeheartedly with him, and I’ve said in different forms that the government’s vision should be to develop Malaysia, which would then lead to people coming together as economic differences started to fade.
That is the idea of Madani. But how many of the youth understand it that way?
Syaza Shukri, PhD, is an associate professor and the current Head at the Department of Political Science, IIUM. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sinar Daily.
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