Our new Next Generation UK research takes a look at the views and perceptions of young people in the UK. Here Christine Wilson, Director of Research and Insight at the British Council, describes the report’s main findings.
"This research is a call to action for policymakers, educators, and youth organisations to engage with us, to listen to our concerns, and to help us unlock our potential."
These words, from the Youth Taskforce that guided the research, opens the latest addition to the British Council’s Next Generation family: Next Generation UK 2024. Commissioned to mark the British Council’s 90th anniversary, this new report aims to shed light on the aspirations of young people across the UK, as well as the challenges they face.
As with all our Next Generation research, which over 15 years has covered more than 20 countries from Albania to Zimbabwe, and engaged over 50,000 young people, this report has three aims.
Firstly, we talk about listening to young people. And that’s crucial because this research shows that young people do not feel heard. Their lives are full of challenges, particularly when it comes to employment and housing, yet many feel their concerns are ignored.
Secondly, we talk about amplifying the voices of young people. This generation is passionately interested in the world around them, whether it’s about completing their education, securing their financial future, contributing to their local community, or addressing global challenges. However they feel their pathways to influence are limited, so the onus is on the British Council and its partners to raise their voice so they can achieve that potential.
Lastly, we aim to bring their insights as evidence for policy makers and support young people’s interests being properly represented in policies that are impacting their lives and shaping their futures.
The research is centred around five core themes. Firstly, the UK in the world. While there were a number of reflections about the challenges facing them following the UK’s exit from the EU, young people remain outward-looking and are committed to the UK sustaining international relationships. They value global mobility, and four in five believe it is important to maintain positive relations with other European countries following Brexit. They also want to see the UK take a leadership position when it comes to addressing the world’s challenges and feel that they can harness education, research and innovation in support of this.
We turn back to the UK in the present day for our second area of focus: the resilience of the UK’s young people in a changing UK. Lack of security is a recurring theme, whether financial or a sense of global volatility. It is a complex picture: this generation seems, as the report puts it, to be empowered as individuals but disempowered collectively. However, one area from which they build their resilience is community, and this generation is redefining that from the traditional place-based sense of previous generations, to communities built around shared interests and identities, often online.
The third section explores education and skills – hugely valued by UK youth, but where there is a distinct feeling that it does not prepare them be active and fulfilled citizens, although they are more positive about it supporting them into the world of work. There is a demand for more practical support throughout the education process to prepare young people for the challenges of life; and an increased emphasis on political literacy, and on equipping them with the tools to manage the dangers of misinformation and disinformation. And as more than half of those surveyed suggested they want to start their own business in the next five years, the demand for entrepreneurial skills can only rise.
Our fourth theme is culture and identity – an area too complex and intricate for me to summarise here! One aspect I would pick out is the sense of culture and creativity as a UK superpower, which we have seen echoed in other research, such as the Global Perceptions Survey. As one focus group participant said: "I think we should be really proud and celebrate the arts in this country, especially music events, festivals, and arts. That is something that we should be really proud of – we’ve got so much talent in this country. [We should take pride in] being so multicultural…"
Lastly, we covered political engagement. A trust deficit has built up for young people in the UK with the political system. When it comes to decision-making at local and national levels, seven in ten young people in the UK either think that their voices go unheard, or that their voices are heard but ignored. This sense of feeling under-represented and unheard is shared across many countries. In 2022 we published the first Next Generation – What We Know briefs, which reviewed Next Generation data from Germany, Poland, Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Vietnam. Across those countries, young people reported feeling that their contributions, thoughts and opinions were not listened to or valued to the same extent as older generations, and that limited their potential to influence and shape the world around them. And it is echoed in other Next Generation research published this year from Bangladesh and Iraq.
But like their peers around the world, young people in the UK are not apathetic – they may be unconvinced by domestic political structures, but they are optimistic about their ability to influence global matters, with 57% believing that UK youth can make a difference on global issues.
So, is it a hopeful picture? Yes, but it is complex. Despite facing a number of challenges in their daily lives at home, young people in the UK remain globally minded. This feels positive. Why? Because they recognise that what concerns them - issues such as climate change, conflict and inequality – requires international co-operation. They believe that the UK should play a leadership role, and they too are keen to play their part.
To build the trust and understanding that is central to our mission, we need to ensure that all voices are heard. It’s vital that young people – future entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders among them – have a place at the table when decisions are being made. This research offers valuable insights into how we can all support the UK’s next generation in achieving their aspirations for a more peaceful and prosperous world. Why does that matter? I’ll leave the last words to the young people who steered this report:
"If the challenges outlined in this report are addressed, there’s no limit to what we can achieve."