Research reports

Care experience and family

New Belongings Programme evaluation report

Coram Voice · 2022

This evaluation assessed the New Belongings Programme, a three-year initiative delivered by Coram Voice that supported eight English local authorities to involve care leavers in service improvements through co-production. Using a pre- and post- design, the evaluation found that local authorities improved their self-assessed performance across all ten 'gold standard' leaving care areas, and staff reported significant benefits from the programme's structure and peer support. However, care leavers' own survey responses showed that wellbeing indicators largely reverted to pre-pandemic levels by 2022, with too many still reporting loneliness, anxiety, and financial hardship. The report concludes that local authorities have built meaningful commitment to co-production with care leavers, but that the wellbeing gap between care leavers and the general youth population remains a critical ongoing challenge.

SurveyInterviewEngland

Digital life and online safety

Digital Wellbeing Report: Care Experienced Community

Who Cares? Scotland · 2022

Who Cares? Scotland's Digital Wellbeing Group — four care-experienced members — designed and ran a survey of 92 care-experienced people across 24 Scottish local authorities to explore online safety, digital relationships, and digital rights. The findings show that while 65–66% of respondents feel safe online, 65% had never accessed online safety training, and cyberbullying, fraud, and harassment were the main concerns. Digital connection was strongly valued for maintaining family and friendship ties, and 80% of participants were aware of their digital rights, though the group identified clear gaps and plan to create accessible resources including a podcast, information pack, and storybook to address them.

Co-producedSurveyParticipatoryScotland

Civic participation and youth voice

State of the Region's Youth Work Sector (Yorkshire and the Humber)

Youth Work Unit Yorkshire and Humber / University of Hull · 2022

This report examines the state of youth work provision across the Yorkshire and Humber region, drawing on peer research by young people, focus groups with youth workers and strategic leads, and secondary data analysis. It finds that a decade of austerity cuts has produced sharp rises in poverty and inequality, leaving highly variable and often insufficient youth service provision across the region. The research identifies five key themes: the YWU's marginal infrastructure position, data gaps, the importance of youth voice and peer research, workforce development challenges, and the need for stronger regional collaboration. It concludes that the Yorkshire and Humber Youth Work Unit (YWU) has a pivotal but under-resourced strategic role in advocating for a consistent, sufficient youth offer for young people across the region.

Co-producedFocus groupParticipatoryYorkshire & the Humber

Mental health and wellbeing

10,000 Voices: The views of children in care on their well-being (Selwyn & Briheim-Crookall 2022)

Coram Voice / Rees Centre Oxford / Hadley Trust / Research in Practice · 2022

Drawing on over 10,000 survey responses collected between 2015 and 2021 from children in care aged 4–18, this report explores their subjective well-being across key indicators including safety, relationships, school, and involvement in decisions. Around a third of young people reported very high well-being, while roughly one in six (aged 11–18) showed low well-being. Key findings show that trusting relationships with carers and social workers, feeling safe and settled, and liking school were central to well-being, while girls, those in residential care, and older young people faced particular challenges. The report calls on local authorities to systematically listen to children in care and co-produce service improvements with them.

SurveyEngland

Mental health and wellbeing

Belong Collective 'We choose to be here' : Why Youth Organisations Are Critical Support Mechanisms for Young People Facing Loneliness

UK Youth (Belong Collective) · 2022

This report explores how youth organisations have adapted their approaches to supporting young people facing loneliness in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It finds that youth organisations have been at the forefront of tackling youth loneliness—developing digital offers, expanding detached youth work, building cross-sector partnerships, and creating inclusive and identity-led activities. The research highlights that young people want a more central role in designing and leading solutions, including peer-led groups, youth participation forums, and community events. The report makes policy and practice recommendations for funders, policy-makers, and youth sector leaders to invest in and empower youth organisations and young people as key agents in tackling loneliness.

Co-producedSurveyInterviewUK-wide

Employment, skills and economic security

Just Getting By: Annual Survey 2022 (4,075 Young Women + 1,040 Young Men + 911 HR DMs)

Young Women's Trust · 2022

Young Women's Trust's 2022 annual survey of over 4,000 young women aged 18–30 in England and Wales finds they are significantly more financially vulnerable than their male peers, with rising debt, food insecurity, and cost-of-living pressures hitting hardest those with caring responsibilities. Young women continue to face barriers to employment and progression, persistent gender pay gaps, and widespread workplace discrimination on grounds of age, gender, race, and caring responsibilities. Despite this, 62% remain optimistic about reaching their career goals. The report calls on government and employers to act on flexible working rights, pay transparency, childcare investment, and stronger equality protections.

Young people consultedSurveyMixed methodsEnglandWales

Employment, skills and economic security

Making up for lost time: understanding young people's hopes and expectations as we start to make up for lost time

Speakers for Schools · 2021

This report by Speakers for Schools, conducted in partnership with YouGov, explores the hopes, needs and expectations of young people aged 11–19 in the UK as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings show that young people prioritise work experience, mental health support, and tutoring to make up for lost time, and that they feel significantly let down by politicians and business leaders who overestimate their own understanding of young people's needs. The research also identifies a major "trust gap" between young people and decision-makers, with recommendations for government and employers to expand access to quality work experience and wellbeing support.

SurveyInterviewUK-wide

Mental health and wellbeing

Locked down, looking out: how young people embraced co-operative values to tackle the challenges of lockdown

Co-op Foundation · 2021

This report explores how young people aged 10–25 in the UK experienced loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions they took to support themselves and others. Key findings show that 73% of young people felt lonely at least occasionally during lockdown, with more than half saying it had worsened since March 2020. Despite this, many young people demonstrated co-operative behaviours — reaching out to friends, making new connections, and taking action to help peers — with 82% having taken at least one action to help someone who felt lonely. The report highlights both the resilience of young people and ongoing barriers such as stigma around discussing loneliness.

SurveyUK-wide

Mental health and wellbeing

One Small Step (youth loneliness research)

Co-op Foundation · 2021

This report presents findings from a UK-wide survey of 2,001 young people aged 10–25 on loneliness and its impacts. It finds that 71% of young people experience loneliness at least occasionally, with older age groups (16–25), those who have received free school meals, and those outside structured environments like school being most affected. Loneliness is strongly linked to poorer mental wellbeing and heightened anxiety, and significant stigma remains, particularly among boys and young men. The report highlights proactive social actions (such as spending time with friends or family) as the most effective ways young people combat loneliness, and calls on wider society to be kinder, more supportive, and more open about the issue.

SurveyUK-wide

Civic participation and youth voice

Overlooked: Young People and Rural Youth Services

National Youth Agency · 2021

Young people in rural England are significantly underserved by youth services, with per-head spending dropping from £108 to just £47 since 2011 — less than half urban rates. The report finds that 2.25 million rural young people face a combination of reduced or absent youth provision, poor transport, limited digital connectivity, and hidden poverty that compound their disadvantage. It calls for a Rural Action Plan co-designed with young people, ring-fenced funding, deployment of qualified youth workers, and investment in community assets and digital infrastructure to address these inequalities.

Secondary analysisEngland

Mental health and wellbeing

LockdownLowdown phase 3

Scottish Youth Parliament / YouthLink Scotland / Young Scot · 2021

This third #LockdownLowdown survey gathered responses from over 2,400 young people across Scotland in Spring 2021 to understand the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdown restrictions began to ease. Key findings show that most secondary school pupils were unhappy with their assessment arrangements, mental health and wellbeing remained a significant concern for many young people, and confidence in future employment was mixed. Young people consistently called for more mental health support, careers advice in schools, and a return to in-person learning and socialising.

SurveyScotland

Mental health and wellbeing

The Impact of COVID-19 on Young People in Merton

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.

Youth-ledSurveyInterviewLondon

Employment, skills and economic security

Youth Voice Census Report 2021

Youth Employment UK · 2021

The 2021 Youth Voice Census gathered the views and experiences of over 3,400 young people aged 14–24 across England on education, employment, and life in their local area. Key findings show widespread disconnection: only 9.9% of young people were confident they could find quality work where they live, and 81.9% felt there were not enough opportunities to share their views on important issues. Mental health concerns emerged as a top barrier across all groups — those in education, looking for work, and in employment — with inequalities by gender, ethnicity, free school meals eligibility, and additional needs running throughout the data.

SurveyEngland

Mental health and wellbeing

The Impact of Covid-19 on England's Youth Organisations

UK Youth · 2021

This report presents findings from a large-scale questionnaire completed by 1,759 youth organisations across England during November 2020, capturing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the sector and the young people they serve. Key findings show that 64% of participating organisations were at financial risk of closure within 12 months, with reduced income, increased costs, and depleted reserves driving the crisis. Youth organisations reported a substantial increase in demand for services — particularly around mental health, employment, and vulnerability to negative activities — while their capacity to respond was severely curtailed by restrictions and financial pressures. The report calls for urgent, unrestricted long-term funding and non-financial support to prevent widespread closure and help organisations rebuild their workforce and adapt services.

SurveyOtherEngland

Criminal justice and youth violence

Hampshire Youth Commission Report

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Youth Commission · 2021

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Youth Commission conducted its 'Big Conversation' between January 2020 and September 2021, gathering 2,042 responses from young people on their experiences and views around serious violence, exploitation, hate crime, and other issues. The report finds that education, greater police visibility, improved awareness of support services, and stronger protections against online harm are the priorities most frequently identified by young people. Recommendations covering knife crime, exploitation, hate crime reporting, and training for adults and institutions are addressed to police, criminal justice partners, schools, and employers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Co-producedSurveyFocus groupSouth East

Criminal justice and youth violence

Co-creation and Participation in the Youth Justice System

Peer Power Youth · 2021

This report investigates the extent and nature of participatory and co-creative practices across Youth Justice Services (YJS) in England and Wales, drawing on a survey of 75 YJS and a series of Deep Dive sessions with practitioners, managers, and children. Key findings show that while most YJS use participatory approaches at the individual level, strategic co-creation is rare, definitions of co-creation are widely misunderstood, and fewer than one in five services have a resourced participation lead. The report makes practical recommendations for YJS around relationship-building, strengths-based approaches, incentivising children's involvement, and embedding a whole-service culture of co-production, supported by a resource pack developed with young people with lived experience of the justice system.

Co-producedSurveyInterviewEnglandWales

Mental health and wellbeing

Unapologetically Me Transcending Resilience exploring the role of resilience in supporting the well-being of young people with racialised communities

Partnership for Young London · 2021

This peer research project, co-produced by Partnership for Young London with 12 young people from Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic communities, explored how young people with racialised identities develop resilience. Key findings challenged traditional Western models of resilience, arguing that placing the burden of resilience on individuals from minoritised communities reinforces oppression rather than addressing structural inequalities. The report highlights the importance of social justice frameworks, collective approaches to adversity, and previously undocumented sources of inner strength such as ancestral ties, liminal spaces, and the role of older sisters in Black and Asian families.

Co-producedInterviewFocus groupLondon

Environment and climate

Climate Change and Young People in Copeland: A Series of Youth Group Activities Run in Conjunction with the Copeland People's Panel on Climate Change

Shared Future CIC / CAfS · 2021

Four participatory workshop sessions were run with 62 young people aged 11–19 across seven youth groups in Copeland, exploring how young people view their communities, understand climate change, and what solutions they want to see locally. Findings show young people are concerned about climate change but lack specific knowledge about local emissions. Young people recommended better public transport, more tree planting, support for electric vehicles, and renewable energy, while also expressing frustration that their voices are not heard by decision-makers. The results were fed directly into the Copeland People's Panel on Climate Change to inform its final recommendations.

Co-producedParticipatoryOtherNorth West

Gender and sexuality

Research Briefing: It Happens All the Time; Girls' and Young Women's Experiences of Sexual Harrassment

Girlguiding · 2021

This survey of over 400 girls and young women aged 13–18 across the UK found that two thirds had experienced sexual harassment from other students at school, and 80% felt unsafe when out alone. Fear of harassment significantly limited girls' freedom, opportunities, and mental health, with older girls and those identifying as LGBQ or girls of colour disproportionately affected. Girls reported widespread barriers to reporting harassment and called for urgent action from schools, government, and the media.

SurveyUK-wide

Mental health and wellbeing

Prince's Trust Tesco Youth Index 2021

The Prince's Trust · 2021

This annual survey of 2,180 young people aged 16–25 across the UK measures their happiness and confidence across key life areas including work, education, mental health and money. The 2021 edition finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on young people's mental health, with more reporting anxiety and depression than at any point in the Index's 12-year history. NEET young people are disproportionately affected, with 40% feeling unable to cope with life and 48% unable to see an end to their unemployment. Despite this, three-quarters of young people believe their generation can change the future for the better.

SurveyLongitudinalUK-wide

Housing and homelessness

Rent-Move-Repeat: A Participatory Action Research Project on the Challenges of Renting in London as a Young Person

Toynbee Hall · 2021

This participatory action research report explores the challenges faced by young private renters aged 18–30 in East London, conducted by 23 peer researchers who were themselves young renters. Key findings show that young renters frequently lack knowledge of their legal rights, face financial pressure from high rents (over half spent more than half their income on rent), and experience poor conditions, unfair evictions, and deposit disputes. The report co-designs practical recommendations with landlords, including a renters' rights website/app and investment in ethical property management agencies.

Co-producedSurveyInterviewLondon

Employment, skills and economic security

BTEG 2021 Young People Survey

Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) · 2021

BTEG's 2021 Young People Survey captures the views of nearly 250 Black, Asian and Mixed ethnicity young people across the UK on jobs, apprenticeships, careers, and wider priority issues during the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings show that most respondents are worried the pandemic will negatively affect their future employment, with racial discrimination cited as a major personal and societal concern — far more so than for young people generally. While more respondents felt confident than not about their future careers, a substantial minority reported being NEET, and racial discrimination was the second most-cited reason for not being in employment or training. Young people called for improved mental health services, financial support to tackle poverty, greater youth voice, and education to address racial discrimination.

SurveyUK-wide

Housing and homelessness

Rent-Move-Repeat: Participatory Action Research Approach

Toynbee Hall · 2021

This Participatory Action Research report documents Toynbee Hall's 2.5-year project exploring how private renting can be improved for young people in East London. Working alongside 23 peer researchers aged 18–30, the team surveyed 80 young renters and conducted 14 in-depth interviews, finding that many struggled to access and understand their housing rights. The project went beyond research to co-design proposals with renters and landlords, ultimately producing recommendations around improving advice and information access, communication between parties, and tackling poor letting agency practice. The report also shares reflective learning on running a Participatory Action Research project with young people facing housing precarity.

Co-producedSurveyInterviewLondon

Mental health and wellbeing

In this together: young people's experiences of loneliness in the spring/summer 2020 lockdown, and beyond

Co-op Foundation · 2020

This report examines how the spring/summer 2020 coronavirus lockdown affected loneliness among young people aged 10 to 25 in the UK. It finds that 76% felt lonely at least occasionally during lockdown, up from 59% before restrictions, with loneliness remaining elevated even after restrictions eased. The report also explores young people's attitudes to talking about loneliness, the actions they took to cope, and their ideas for what support would help tackle youth loneliness going forward.

SurveyUK-wide

Results