PONT Group and its partners have launched, within Urban Citizen Y project, the Happy City survey – pandemic edition aiming to collect youngsters’ opinions and perceptions about 8 European cities, in 9 languages, on both usual aspects of their life but also their situation and concerns regarding the situation resulted during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. This survey has been implemented in the cities of Amiens (FR), Braga (PT), Cluj-Napoca (RO), Klaipeda (LT), Maribor (SI), Novi Sad (SB), Thessaloniki (GR), Varna (BG) between 20 May and 31 July 2020.

The aim of the Happy City survey was to capture how youngsters feel during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and how they see cities can step in to address their situation. The survey measured certain aspects of young people’s lives: how happy they feel, how safe, united and proactive each city is and what they think the city and themselves can do additionally in the given situation. Over 7,700 young people have completed the survey from participating European cities, including over 1,200 youngsters from Cluj-Napoca.

Based on received answers, partners will assess during August and September what each city can do for its young people and how they can engage young people in restarting urban life and in raising the sense of belonging to the community.

A comprehensive study report will be published by the Citizen Y Resource Centre managed by PONT Group. The data analysis aims to obtain an overview of the context resulted from the pandemic instauration and related safety measures and its effects on young people. This approach contain both a local level analysis, based the data coming from each city, but also on an overall level, comparing results between cities and finding similarities and particular differences which will be further used in the framework for the development of urban youth ecosystems.

Survey findings will be presented during the Happy City Conference, an online public event which will take place on 1-2 October with the involvement of all 8 European Youth Capital cities and additional European decision makers and experts in the field of youth.

All the cities involved are current or former European Youth Capitals through a partnership formed by PONT Group, Fundacao Bracara Augusta, Mladinski kulturni center Maribor, UNESCO Youth Club Thessaloniki, Varna 2017 Association, OPENS 2019 Novi Sad, Amiens Metropole and Amicus Certus Klaipeda in the framework of the project called Urban Citizen Y supported by the Europe for Citizens Programme.

The Happy City survey – pandemic edition is part of the Urban Citizen Y project, which aims to develop a framework for the development of urban youth ecosystems. The project brings together active young people and youth workers from the 2012-2020 European Youth Capitals to generate a creative exchange of experiences, thoughts and ideas, but also young people from cities with experience in youth participation and youth policies, to reach practical and pragmatic solutions. The project also contributes to the improvement of urban youth ecosystems across Europe.