Partnering with Headland Consultancy and the Co-op, we explored the experiences of young people and the impact of the pandemic. The survey revealed that children as young as 10 think that the pandemic will affect their chances for the rest of their lives. Using participatory principals, young people were consulted as part of the questionnaire design process, to ensure that questions were worded in an understandable and relevant way, and that answer options reflected true attitudes and perceptions among the audience.

Worryingly, among school-aged children (10-15 year olds), almost half (47%) felt they had fallen behind in the past year, with almost 6 in 10 (59%) feeling pressure to ‘catch up’ quickly. Furthermore, almost 3 in 10 (29%) thought that the pandemic had made them less likely to continue with further education in general.

In terms of work and careers, almost 3 in 10 (28%) of 16-25 year olds felt that the pandemic had ruined their career dreams. Indeed, overall, almost 6 in 10 (58%) of young people aged 10-25 felt that the government had failed their generation in its handling of the pandemic.

Various groups in society were explored in detail, including across ages, socioeconomic situation / social mobility, ethnicity, sexuality and area living in.

ICM consulted young people as part of the questionnaire design process, gaining input on question design and answer options. In terms of the survey, ICM then interviewed a representative sample of 5,040 10-25-year olds living in the UK. Fieldwork was conducted between 28th July – 18th August 2021. To ensure a representative sample, during fieldwork demographic quotas were applied and at the analysis stage data was weighted.

The full report from the Co-op can be found here.

If you would like to explore a topic among young people, please do get in touch below!