NiNis’: Youth in Argentina who Neither Work nor Study. A Social Integration Deficit

Abstract

This study aims to assess the extent to which vulnerability in household
material living conditions affects the institutional integration of young
people of Argentina. We worked with a random sample of 4,855 youth
aged between 18 and 25. It was observed that 66% of those who neither
study nor work live in households having a low or very low socioeconomic
status, with 4 out of 10 of these youth residing in shantytowns or slums
and with half of them failing to complete high school. Harsh environments
create a vicious circle of persistent passivity and isolation. However, the
comparison between the NiNis and the working segment allowed us to
conclude that similar household levels of socio-economic vulnerability
are not necessarily sufficient to explain the situation of social
disaffiliation found in these youth NiNis.