YOUTH ASPIRATIONS AS A FACTOR OF SECURITY POLICY IN TIMES OF WAR

Abstract

The article examines youth life aspirations as an important sociocultural and security factor in the development of contemporary societies. The aims and tasks. The aim of the study is to conceptualize the notion of “life aspirations” in relation to work culture and to analyze the specific features of the life and professional orientations of modern youth in the global context and in Ukrainian society in particular. Research methods. Research methodology of the study is an interdisciplinary approach combining conceptual analysis, the comparative method, and the interpretation of sociological and statistical data from international and national studies. Such an approach allows considering life aspirations as a sociocultural phenomenon shaped at the intersection of individual ambitions, educational opportunities, and the structural conditions of the labor market. Research results. The article demonstrates that the formation of youth life aspirations is determined by the interaction of cultural and socioeconomic factors. Cultural factors include work values, levels of career ambition, and educational orientations, while socioeconomic factors include the structure of the labor market, access to education, technological transformations, and the level of social security. The analysis of international statistical data revealed key trends in the contemporary labor market, including growth in youth unemployment, the influence of digital literacy on social stratification, and the deepening of social inequality. The study shows that Ukrainian youth generally maintain high educational and professional aspirations and demonstrate adaptive motivation and the ability to rethink life strategies under wartime conditions. Discussion. This study offers a novel interpretation of youth life aspirations as an indicator of national security and combines the analysis of work culture with the study of life strategies of Ukrainian youth in the context of war.Conclusions. Youth life aspirations emerge as an important indicator of social well-being, economic resilience, and national security. The formation of ambitious yet realistic life expectations among young people is therefore identified as an important task of state youth and education policy.