Our Insights 2026 report will be launched at a one-day policy conference on children and young people’s futures. Taking place at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, London, on the 26 February, the event will consider how we build a social infrastructure that supports children’s development and reduces inequalities. This generation of children and young people are facing a wave of challenges. So, what are we discovering through emerging research and what policy direction should we be taking?
While curriculum reform and classroom effectiveness, whether in schools, colleges or universities, matters critically for reasoning and knowledge, educational attainment, and social mobility, what happens alongside the classroom equally matters. Social and emotional development, nutrition and healthy living, soft skills, parental income and unemployment, and places also influence outcomes. Evidence shows that inequalities in education and social mobility start early on in childhood, have long term consequences, and are transmitted intergenerationally.
Insights 2026 is free to attend, but you need to register in advance. Book your place here.
Understanding Society has been tracking the lives of children and young people, within a family context, since 2009. Analysis of the data by researchers is revealing a rich unfolding tapestry of ambitions, challenges, hurdles and lack of progress across generations. So, what needs to be done differently over the medium term to overcome these challenges and barriers, and how can services and opportunities be more effectively distributed in the context of fiscal constraints?
The Insights policy conference will focus on three themes:
- Building the early foundations
- Supporting the adolescent years
- Improving youth health and social mobility
You can find the full programme for the conference on the event page.
We will also be launching our Insights 2026 Report at this policy conference. Focusing on children and young people, and entitled Barriers to Opportunities, it contains the latest research findings from the Understanding Society. Insights will be available to read on our website from the 26 February.