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GREECE
OUR FUTURES
EPAMINONDAS CHRISTOPHILOPOULOS -
- ERICA BOLL - LAURENT BONTOUX
Epaminondas christophilopoulos, UNESCO Chair on
futures research
Erica Boll, Joint Research Center
Laurent Bontoux, Joint Research Center
March 2023
Published by the UNESCO Chair on Futures Research,
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas
1. #OURFUTURES
What do you want the future to look like? In which future
would you like to live? These are questions of high
relevance for policy and they were at the heart of the
Conference on the Future of Europe. This EU initiative has
created a new space for debate with citizens on how to
respond to the European Union’s challenges and to create
the Union that its citizens collectively want for the future.
However, beyond the formulation of many single wishes for
the future, there is a need to structure these conversations
and to build coherent and comprehensive alternative
futures that are achievable. This can then provide a
constructive space for political debate in the EU in a long-
term perspective.
The #OurFutures - Stories for the future of Europe
initiative, coordinated by the Joint Research Centre,
addresses this need beyond the end of the Conference on
the Future of Europe. It offers a simple questionnaire
through an interactive multilingual platform able to cater to
the 24 official languages of the European Union. It aims at
collecting a large number of very short stories that express
what participants would like to see in the Europe of the
future (2040), with their hopes, their uncertainties and their
ideas for a positive future. These stories, written by
Europeans from all walks of life, remain anonymous. To
ensure success, the project relies on a robust methodology
(powered by SenseMaker©) to exploit, in a foresight
perspective, the rich material provided by participants.
This methodology operates in all EU languages to
maximize reach. To avoid any bias, the analysis bases itself
strictly on what the authors themselves tell through a few
simple questions. The stories, translated into all EU
languages, are published on the platform of the
Conference on the Future of Europe to maintain
connection with participants and stimulate discussions. This
is an ongoing project that will remain active for a long time
to collect as much material as possible. Results can be
analysed per country, per age group, per policy domain or
other classifications. Various types of responses can also be
correlated to check whether certain values or preferences
occur in specific combinations. The first analyses are very
promising and the insights that they provide will serve to
generate concrete, future-oriented recommendations for
EU action to build together the Europe that its citizens
want.
The purpose of this initiative is to provide a novel tool to
empower Europeans to influence the creation of their own
collective future. It does so by providing concrete ideas
about desired futures as structured material that can be
analysed to feed constructively the political debate.
The UNESCO Chair on Futures Research, in Greece, has
been a strategic partner of the #OurFutures initiative
during the design and implementation phase, and
coordinated the data collection and analysis for Greece.
The effort was supported by the Special Secretariat for
Foresight in the Presidency of the Greek government.
2. RESEARCH IDENTITY
The data collection is performed using the SenseMaker®
1
method. SenseMaker® allows for large-scale capture of the
various ideas for the future into a quantitative framework
where the participants become their own ethnographer,
combining at the same time the scale of numbers with the
explanatory power of narrative.
The citizen’s input was organized and took place usually
during future related event and workshops while it was also
communicated through social media and direct mail
campaigns.
Participants were requested to provide input in 4
sections of the survey:
• Collection of future images: participants were
prompted to describe a story about 2040.
• Provision of information about the stories: thematic
area, geographical focus, feelings, etc.
• Collection of general views towards the future.
• Collection of Demographic information.
The data presented here were collected during the period
April 2021 to December 2022. The participation was
anonymous while the participants could optionally provide
demographics information (Graphs 1-4).
https://thecynefin.co/about-sensemaker/
1
AGE
1%
30%
17%
8%
43%
12 to 17 yrs old 18-25 yrs old 26-40 yrs old
41 to 65 yrs old Over 65 yrs old
Graph 1: Age of survey participants
GENDER
1%
48%
51%
Woman Man Other gender
Graph 2: Gender of survey participants
EMPLOYMENT
STATUS
17%
35%
3%
5%
39%
Full/ part time employed Self-employed Unemployed
Student Volunteer Retired
Other employment
Graph 3: Employment status
All data and demographic information are available at:
https://ourfutures.dashboard.voicesthatcount.net/
FINANCIAL
SITUATION
7%
26%
67%
I feel secure financially
I’m just breaking even every month
It’s very difficult to meet my needs
Graph 4: Financial situation
3. THE DATA
Participants were asked to describe futures images and
provide some additional information like the feelings
related to these images or the geographical focus of the
future image.
It is again underlined that to avoid any bias, the analysis
bases itself strictly on what the authors themselves tell
through a few simple questions. This means that citizens
after describing a future image, then it is the citizens
themselves again that analyse that future image and the
associated feelings.
The collected information is briefly presented in the
following graphs.
The citizens have chosen to describe images of the
future related mainly to nature/climate, fairness/social
justice, and health/wellbeing, closely followed by stories
related to technology/science and living together/
community.
The selection of the stories could be perceived as
indication of the topics that are of concern by the Greek
society.
It is worth mentioning the extremely low number of
stories related to migration/refugees.
Most of the future images described by the Greek
participants are associated with positive feelings, although
mobility/transport
fairness/social justice
Nature/climate
health/wellbeing
technology/science
migration/refugees
education/schools
democracy/governance
work/occupation
housing/living conditions
economy/trade
living together/community
other
0%
5%
9%
14%
18%
Graph 5: Themes of future images
a considerable percentage have chosen to describe
different dystopian future images.
Most of the future images described by the Greek
participants are mostly associated with issues of global
FEELINGS
3%
15%
2%
2%
22%
42%
14%
happy hopefull inspired indifferent sad
worried frustrated
Graph 6: Feelings associated with the shared
future images
interest. Only an extremely small fraction of stories are
related with issues of European, national or local level.
GEOGRAPHY
79%
8%
8%
6%
Local level National level European level
Global level
Graph 7: Geographical focus of future
images
4. OUR POSITION TOWARDS THE
FUTURE
In this set of questions, participants from Greece
responded to a set of questions to reveal their position
towards the future.
In the following triad questions participants were
offered three answer options. They could answer by
moving the "dot" anywhere in the triad. Moving the dot
closer to one corner point means that they have given
more weight to that answer compared to the two other
answers. If the dot is placed in the middle of the triad, the
three answers are equally important to the citizen. If the
question was not relevant to their story, they could tick "Not
applicable" (N/A).
What it is important for the Greeks?
According the Greek participants all three dimensions
(economic prosperity, care for the environment, care for
each other) are important, while there is a tendency
towards the care for each other and the environment.
Graph 8: What matters in the future.
What shapes our images for the future?
According the Greek participants their personal views
of the future are mainly shaped by their personal
experiences and the News & Social Media, while it is
extremely less important the interaction with other people.
Graph 9: What shapes our views for the future.
Who are the change makers for Greek futures?
In this interesting question citizens were requested to
define who is the change maker, who is(are) the actor(s)
that could bring change. It seems that all proposed actors
are deemed important, while there is a clear tendency
towards the “citizens”.
Graph 10: Who are the change makers.
How the Greeks feel about the future?
The Greeks are very much concerned about the future
but at the same time they feel the any change needs
people to act and they feel that have the power to do a lot
to create a positive future.
Graph 11: Who are the change makers.
6. EXPERT’S VIEW
Our Futures: An optimistic message from Greece
By Vivian Efthimiopoulou
Greeks are very proud about their past, even the recent,
hurtful periods of Modern Greek History are present in a
constant passionate and heated public discourse.
Nostalgia is equally strong, the lifestyle of our
grandparents is idolized as an era of innocence. This
winter, for example, 8 out of 100 TV series' stories are set in
the past.
So, it was quite a surprise to see that the #OurFutures
survey attracted such an interest, regardless of the fact that
the Unesco Team in Greece worked hard to advertise the
project and the questionnaire.
Our first observation is the class-related factor. It seems
that imagining the future is a task the financially safe are
the most willing to pursue while the “togetherness” as a
catalyst in the realization of the best case scenarios about
the future is a strong political indicator, a message Greek
governments and the EU cannot ignore.
When the discussion comes to the Future it’s Nature,
Health and Social Justice that emerge as themes of
projected images. The survey took place on the
occasion of the pandemic which was not related only to
Health but the issue of social justice, the environment as
well as mobility emerged.!
Important notice/finding: Although Greece is the
eastern border of the EU and one of the main gates of
the refugee and migration waves, migration scores very
low as an issue should cause worry or concern about
the future.
There is no surprise in the fact that younger people
(18-25y) believe that it’s their personal experiences who
shape their future image. As people grow old learn to
recognize most of the factors that shape their
perception of the world, its future and its past as well.
The findings of the survey suggest that it may be a
good idea to “expose” younger people to the “history
of futurism”, to inform them on what we projected back
in the 60s and 70s and what actually happened,
stressing on the explanation of what we got wrong. On
the other hand and when it comes to adults and middle
aged groups we see how important it is to promote
future literacy via the Press.!
Governments/politicians, people in business and
science, citizens groups, must take the message: people
believe that it is their responsibility to make change
happen. The responsibility of political and financial
leadership towards the future is a striking finding in the
survey. There is a very positive element in the finding:
the belief that it’s the establishment responsible for the
future leaves little, if any, space to anti-systemicism.
Greeks accept their responsibility for the Future. A 50%
acknowledge their role, personally, in shaping the
image of the future.!
#OurFutures is an important exercise for the citizens in
order to realize their responsibility towards the Future,
elevate their standards regarding their expectations from
their leadership. The finding that the Future is associated
with optimism is noteworthy because “Project Europe” in
the Declaration of Rome is based on the core belief of the
Enlightenment that the world progresses and the best are
yet to come.!!
7. FUTURE IMAGES
Selected future images for 2040 proposed by the Greek
participants of the #OurFutures initiative.
Imagine...
Less inequality,
more human rights,
more civil rights,
better education
for all people, no
social exclusion to
anything..., better
quality of life for all
the people.
One... for each other
The future I imagine has man at its centre.
More specifically, in 2040 I would not want
there to be a single person on the planet
who is hungry. In fact, I would like all nations
on all continents to allow all people to have free
education and medical care. Important goods
such as those mentioned are necessary for
every human being and should not be
degraded by any monetary compensation. In
this way people will reconsider their principles
and values and focus on their self-improvement
by living in a world of equal treatment for all. I
also imagine a world united with common goals
and a common course, without the defence of
supposed borders, without wars and conflicts. I
imagine a world full of love and hope. With
Living with dignity.
The safe living of all
people with dignity
and justice.
Fueled by water
One of the biggest issues of the 21st century is environmental and air
pollution from motor vehicle fuels. From cars to airplanes etc.
An ideal scenario would be that in the next 20 years the absolute fuel
used would be water, or at least a fuel whose majority is water.
human-hubs in the urban city of 2040 #anthropoinvestment
#socialurbanhubs #2040 #futurecity
My covid experience and restriction measures, staying within the limits
of my neighborhood, made me find out more about my neighborhood
and the people next door and next street. So, waking up in 2040, puts
me in a city of the future, where neighborhoods are small social, smart,
and green hubs that interconnect with each other and are knitted giving
the full picture of the urban city where people talk, are active, take
initiatives, share. Green roof tops and sky gardens, solar walls and
windows as panels in building surfaces capturing the sun, green spaces
to let us breath, green streets with places for fun or rest in the
streetscape, buildings of low height so that light and air reach the
ground, people strolling in the streets enjoying health and well-being,
social transportation and transit, easy access to transit and services,
family-essence units to live in and interact with others, recycling and
reusing. In general, a city of the future for all (disabled, social minorities,
different generations) with access to goods and services and a quality of
everyday life.
Big Incredible Changes
The future I want to live in is
definitely a future in which
people actually care about
social issues, like
environmental problems,
unemployment, mental
health issues and especially
supporting people that are
considered ''different''.
The refugee issue in Greece
The refugee issue is one of the biggest
issues in Greece today. It would be
ideal if in 2040 refugees could
become part of society, not living on
the margins as they do today and
stopping the migratory flows that
claim the lives of thousands of people
A friendly world
It’s 2040 and it feels like ages since i was in high school. I remember
people constantly facing racism, I remember prejudice dominating the
world and I remember people fighting for injustice to disappear. Being
black, being gay, being a female, where things out of your control that
you could be judged for. I remember black people being killed by the
police, I remember gay people being isolated from the world, I
remember women in many parts of the world being killed for going to
school. The funny thing is that the wold was believed to be friendly then.
It’s 2040 and now I realise that the world was unfriendly and dangerous.
Now it’s a different situation. Now the world has taken a step forward
causing changes in the legal system,
even though people’s mind haven’t
been changed.
Learning from the past &
building the future
More human - to be closer
to nature - to take time to
live each moment - to use
science to evolve without
losing touch with our
neighbor
You got this
Our pets will live longer.
Now, pet oncology is a
common and expanding
industry. We will treat our pets with
higher quality food and more advanced
medical services. When it comes to pet
health, it can only get better.
Fueled by water
One of the biggest issues of the
21st century is environmental and
air pollution from motor vehicle
fuels. From cars to airplanes etc.
An ideal scenario would be that
in the next 20 years the absolute
fuel used would be water, or at
least a fuel whose majority is
water.
Achieve the goals for environmental sustainability
The consequences of climate change are going to be more than
visible in 2040. I really hope that we will manage to achieve the
environmental sustainability goals so as to be safe.
Citizens in action
It is Tuesday afternoon and everyone is gathered in the village library.
The little ones are playing carefree in the relaxation room while the
rest of the villagers start the discussions. The young people continue
to write down their proposals for the utilization of the hot springs
while the older ones deal with the issues of cleanliness and issues
related Mendi operation of the community's primary school.
Discussions are long but effective . The proposals were recorded,
discussed with the state governor of the area and approved
immediately . From tomorrow the residents who undertook the
implementation of these projects take up work. The villagers are
planning and implementing based on their needs and the
bureaucratic delays are being overcome by the direct involvement of
the community.
A romantic future
I can imagine an international environment that is not affected by
viruses and health problems. People will not lose their lives or be afraid
of losing their lives to pandemics.On the economic level, I hope for a
recovery of the economy, a satisfactory standard of living for most of
the population with free and active health, education, justice,
entertainment, activities, sports.In the workplace, I imagine more
opportunities for young people, a higher salary sufficient for all
activities of individuals without deprivation. On the social level, I
imagine true gender equality, acceptance of all minorities and the
destruction of racism. No more countless complaints of violence and
bullying of any kind; no more femicide, no more suicides and a
reduction in the rates of depression and mental disorders; on an
individual level, everyone's goal should be self-improvement, no more
criticism and thinking in terms of solidarity and the common good. it
can only get better.
A happy centre
In 2040 the future of the traffic issue in Greece will be different. There
will be more parks and gardens in the centre of cities while roads will
have been reduced. Traffic will be driven by electric cars which will be
available for rent so that every citizen can park his car in a parking lot
and commute with his rental car. The parking spaces will be located at
the entrance to the city centre and will be available free of charge. The
commuting will be done by electric bicycles, scooters and cars and the
proceeds of the money from the rental of the electric vehicles will be
used for the maintenance of gardens and parks. Shops will be operated
with ease while shopkeepers will use alternative energy sources for
their shops. Citizens will work in decentralized businesses and the city
center will be the entertainment time of their day with walks in the
gardens, parks , sports activities , public libraries, free health check ups
for citizens as well as venues for speeches on issues of concern to
society both economically and politically and socially.
The announcement will be given action and plastic packaging will have
been reduced by 80%.
Citizens will be able to feed themselves from the gardens located in the
centre as there will be tables and trees which will produce fruit for all
citizens.
There will be no homeless citizens because there will be guesthouses
for them and they will meet their needs in exchange for working in
them and being maintained in the best way possible. So they too will
be productive and live in good conditions.
As far as technology is concerned, there will be computers and mobile
phones everywhere so that at any time a citizen can communicate with
the outside world and get information or work in a nature and human
friendly environment.
Abolition of communication borders
The year is 2040 and the way people communicate has become
easier than ever before. Geographical distances have now been
eliminated as the use of technologies such as augmented reality
allows for realistic communication on a level that approaches that
of interpersonal communication.
Read all future images at:
https://ourfutures.dashboard.voicesthatcount.net/
Black mirror
It will probably be
something between using
all the technology capacity
as presented by scientists
and even some movies
combined with the
unknown consequences of
the daily routine of the
planet.
Marriage free
I would like people to stop getting
married. This (and religion) is the
cornerstone of misery in modern
societies. I would like to see people
select their partners whenever they
want, split up whenever they want and
find another again whenever they
want.
Government, Science, and Technology in service of the citizens
World population under control, ecosystems no longer in danger,
carbon emissions peaked and now gradually decreasing.
Also, smaller governments, fully in service to the people rather than
controlling people. Increased participation of citizens.
Big world killers under better control. TB deaths decreased from
today's 1.4m/yr to under 100k/yr.
Fully personalized, skill-based education. The only way to have happy
and effective education enabling children to realize their potential.
Sensors everywhere, AI everywhere, in service to the people (rather
than monitoring and modulating our behavior).
Pursuit of freedom everywhere instead of compliance and obedience.