Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life, and young people in Cyprus are already engaging with it in diverse and meaningful ways.The 6th Cyprus Youth Barometer presented by the Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK), sheds light on how AI is perceived and used by youth across the island — revealing not only growing familiarity with AI tools but also a mix of enthusiasm and concern about their impact.

The findings provide a broader view of how young Cypriots relate to emerging technologies, alongside persistent worries about employment, economic insecurity, and a lack of trust in institutions.

The survey was conducted by IMR–University of Nicosia on behalf of ONEK in December 2024. It included 1,000 young participants aged 14–35, selected through random sampling.

Employment remains the top concern for young people in Cyprus, cited by 60% of respondents. Notably, nearly 1 in 4 (37%) pointed to the challenge of securing a job with promising career prospects. In addition, 27% identified economic hardship as the most pressing issue facing youth today, followed by concerns about the country’s future (25%) and starting a family (21%).

In a ranking of issues young people consider most critical for Cyprus today, corruption and lack of meritocracy were rated particularly high.

Institutional trust among youth continues to remain low. Political parties received the lowest average trust rating (3.26/10), followed by the media (3.84/10). In contrast, the Office of the Auditor General and the Police scored higher, with 5.05/10 and 4.92/10, respectively.

Young people report strong social media skills, averaging 7.71 out of 10, with women indicating slightly higher proficiency than men.

When asked about their emotions surrounding AI in daily life, 24% of respondents expressed more enthusiasm than concern, 26% felt more concern than enthusiasm, and 50% reported equal levels of both.

Regarding the context in which they’ve used AI tools, the results were as follows:

• 63% for personal use

• 55% in education

• 44% in their jobs

As for AI tools currently used, the top responses were:

• ChatGPT: 72%

• Google Translate: 60%

• Siri: 27%

• Canva: 17%

Overall, the average experience score with AI tools was 6.19 out of 10, with significant variation by age group. Youth aged 14–17 rated their familiarity highest (7.20/10), while those 30–35 gave a lower score (5.51/10).