20.500.12556/DKUM-95396 Youth in transition navigating expectations in the post-COVID era This chapter compares youth perceptions of societal norms in Croatia and Slovenia, revealing distinct mechanisms shaping their views. Croatian youth exhibit age-dependent patterns where growing autonomy influences the internalisation of societal expectations, leading to increasing self-confidence paired with a realistic reassessment of attainable life goals, particularly in education, housing, and financial independence. Slovenian youth, especially women, confront pronounced gender disparities rooted in structural inequities, burdening them with extensive societal and familial responsibilities. Both cohorts experience tension between individual aspirations and collective norms, with maturity prompting a shift from optimism to pragmatic evaluation of social milestones. Socioeconomic status (SES) strongly correlates with youths’ belief in personal success and adherence to societal expectations, with higher SES linked to greater confidence and internalisation, although national contexts mediate these effects. During the COVID-19 pandemic, age differences in justifying public health norms were minimal, but SES differences were significant, especially in Slovenia. Croatian youth showed less overall support for health measures but greater familial duty endorsement. youth expectations life goals COVID-19 pandemic Croatia and Slovenia mladi pričakovanja življenjski cilji pandemija COVID-19 Hrvaška in Slovenija true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Znanstveno delo 2025-09-16 13:54:34 2025-09-16 13:54:34 2025-09-17 03:18:06 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Str. 157-184 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2025-09-03 316.346.32-053.6 247088643 249147907 10.18690/um.ff.7.2025.7 RAZ_Potocnik_Dunja_2025.pdf RAZ_Potocnik_Dunja_2025.pdf 1 BCA685738EF99ED67345E91BDDAAC522 a86c3c8f4218a323a31155543196abad10933af21e021e8ff3e525543e64146b aad7076f-92f4-11f0-8742-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=198579 https://doi.org/10.18690/um.ff.7.2025.7 1 eaab8abd-92f3-11f0-8742-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=198576 Filozofska fakulteta Univerzitetna založba Univerze v Mariboru 0 0 0