How educated PNG youth perceive western power

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Abstract

This paper examines how educated Papua New Guinean youth perceive Western countries, and in particular their level of power. The educated youth studied in this paper come from across Papua New Guinea. They stem from a wide range of geographical and cultural settings. University students are the research subjects as these are the educated, privileged young people who will most likely move into positions of influence. Given this group's comparative educational advantage, this paper assesses their level of knowledge about international events and systems. This paper then examines the young people's perspective on the West by focusing on two cases: the United States of America, and Australia. Particular international news events, such as the war in Iraq, are examined, in order to provide specific insights into the dominant perceptions shared by the students. The influence that media consumption may have on these perceptions is explored. Methods of investigation include questionnaires and focus groups.