Is there a uniform NEET identity in the European Union?

ABSTRACT During the last decade, the policy efforts aiming to tackle the NEET situation (young people who neither study nor work) have increased dramatically in the European Union. Meanwhile, many studies challenged those policies, showing how they failed due to lack of understanding the NEETs. Thus, we analyse the factors that influence the appearance, modification and elimination of a NEET identity. The results reveal the presence of a shared NEET identity in the countries with high NEET rates, despite the considerable differences in the countries’ and NEETs’ characteristics. The NEET rate stands out as the key factor influencing the NEET identity, showing that this identity depends more on economic cycles than on the specific country or its culture.