Not just any job, good jobs! Youth voices from across the UK: Survey findings

This is the survey findings that informs the second of a series of reports looking at good quality work from young people’s perspectives. It sets out the findings from a survey of 1,275 young people across the four UK nations exploring respondents’ views and perceptions of the quality of work, their experiences in work, and the impact of the pandemic. The report focuses on sub-group analysis by respondents’ nation, gender, ethnicity, disability status, education and employment status.

Methods

The research reported here uses a youth-centred approach. This means the design and materials were developed through involving young people as experts by experience, chiefly through collaborative workshops with young advisers from Leaders Unlocked and young campaigners from the Equality Trust.

The research was conducted through a large-scale online survey of 1,275 young people across the four UK nations. The survey took place in two waves, in April and September 2021, with two different groups of young people, to capture the diversity in young people’s views and experiences at two points in time and account for the rapidly evolving context of the pandemic.

The survey used sampling quotas to ensure inclusion and representation from across the population, and particularly from under-represented groups including minority ethnic groups, disabled young people and those with health conditions, and young people who are not in education or employment. It should be noted that while overall quotas for the survey were reached, there are data skews for certain subgroups.

When reading the graphs in this report, it should be noted that where the rate of respondents is below 5%, the percentage figure is not included in the graphs but is reported in the findings where relevant. Tables and diagrams include all percentage figures.