We published Next Generation UK 2024! This new study offers insights into the lives of young people in the UK. It explores the hopes that they hold for themselves, the most pressing issues they see in the UK, and globally, and how they view their place in the world.

Visit the webpage.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU has left many young people feeling uncertain about the future and with questions about how the UK’s place in the world may be recast. While some perceive an opportunity to carve out a new future, others are anxious that Brexit will diminish the UK’s influence on the global stage.

With the backdrop of this moment of transition, the British Council commissioned Demos to undertake independent research for Next Generation UK, aiming for honest dialogue about the challenges facing young people in the UK, as well as exploring ways in which they can still have opportunities and agency as local and global citizens. 

The report is organised according to three key research themes around which we have explored youth attitudes and aspirations: the UK’s place in the world, political and social engagement, and opportunities in education and work.

About Next Generation

Next Generation is a series of global British Council research focusing on the attitudes and aspirations of young people, and the policies and conditions that support them in becoming creative, fulfilled and active citizens. 

The research projects examine young people’s views around education, employment and lifestyle, as well as uncovering their hopes and fears for their country, their degree of international engagement and views on the wider world, and the values and beliefs that affect their lives. 

In countries where we have conducted multiple Next Generation reports, the first acts as a benchmark, with later research taking a deep dive into a given area, such as democratic engagement or experience of conflict.