Young people across England invited to take part in major new study

Up to 25,000 teenagers currently aged either 16 or 17 will receive letters asking them and a parent/guardian to answer an online questionnaire about their experiences of the pandemic, as well as their future hopes and plans. The project will be known as ‘Horizons’ to participants.

Their responses will form the first part of the fieldwork for COSMO (the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities Study), a major new national longitudinal cohort study which will examine the short-, medium- and long-term impacts of the pandemic on educational inequality and social mobility.

The study is the largest of its kind into the effects of the pandemic on the life chances of a generation of young people. It will look at the experiences of young people in every region of England and from a wide range of backgrounds. The study aims to identify challenges facing young people and help policymakers plan how best to respond to them.

Dr Jake Anders, who is principal investigator of the study at CEPEO, said: “We’re very excited to be launching the fieldwork for COSMO. It’s so important to hear from young people themselves on their experience of the pandemic and how it has affected their lives. We are really grateful to everyone who is able to take part in the survey”.

The study is a collaboration between CEPEO, the Sutton Trust, and the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, with fieldwork led by Kantar Public. The first findings from the study will be published in early 2022.

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Annie Spratt via Unsplash

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