Perception of Democracy among Youth in Myanmar and Burmese Migrant Communities

Abstract

Myanmar has recently undergone a transition to democratic government. The practice of democracy among youth in Myanmar is new, but critical for the success of democracy in future. The perception of democracy varies among Burmese youth in Myanmar and Burmese migrant communities in Thailand. This thesis undertook comparative analysis of the perception of democracy among youth in Yangon, Myanmar and Mae-Sot, migrant area in Thailand. While the youth in Myanmar have recently participated in their first democratic experience, the youth in Thai-Burmese border or migrant area have had longer exposure to democratic experiences in Thailand. Comparing the two groups’ perception of democracy will be helpful for policy makers to better understand Myanmar democracy’s future direction. This research aims to answer the following questions: how does migration affect Burmese youth’s perception of democracy? Why and how is the perception of Burmese youth in Myanmar different from Burmese youth in the Thai-Burmese border? The data for this paper was gathered through one hundred and twenty high school students from a migrant school and other one hundred and twenty high school students from school in Yangon, Myanmar. Based on quantitative and qualitative research,the main findings support my hypothesis. The results prove that people who have migrated home in Thai-Burmese border have improved democratic view compared to people who stayed in Myanmar.