London Borough of Merton · 2021
This youth-led peer research project, designed and conducted by Merton's Young Inspectors, explored how Covid-19 and lockdown affected young people living and studying in the London Borough of Merton. Drawing on a survey of over 2,000 young people and more than 200 interviews and focus groups, it found that the pandemic negatively impacted mental health, physical activity, education, and friendships, with care-experienced young people, young carers, disabled young people, and Black young people disproportionately affected. Young people reported feeling excluded from local decision-making, expressed mixed views of the police (strongly shaped by stop-and-search experience and ethnicity), and called for better mental health support, safer spaces, and a genuine voice in how their borough is run.