China's youth policy formulation and youth participation

In response to changing needs and problems of young people, China, as well as other countries, has a need to invite youth's participation in the formulation of youth policy. Contemporary China's youth policy is primarily ideological and penetrating to develop young people as faithful and moral patriots. However, the two decades of economic reforms and opening policy have driven the new generation of young people to seek for greater participation in policy-making which can both serve the purposes of absorbing the opinions of the policy recipients and providing an outlet of youth grievance. In line with such new development, a research of 53 Chinese youth policy makers, youth work theorists, youth workers, working youth, university undergraduates, and secondary school students in Beijing and Guangzhou indicates youth's desire for policy participation and the perceived insufficiency of channels for youth's participation in formulation of youth policy. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.