Publication type
Understanding Society Working Paper Series
Series Number
2026-16
Series
Understanding Society Working Paper Series
Authors
Publication date
November 2, 2026
Abstract:
This working paper presents findings from the 2026 Understanding Society Research Springboard, which brought together professional analysts to explore contemporary challenges facing young people using longitudinal data from Understanding Society. The research outputs from the seven teams examine key dimensions of the transition to adulthood, including education, employment, wellbeing, social relationships, housing, inequality and civic participation. Team one examined transitions from education to employment, finding that around three-quarters of young people moved from education into a positive destination, with success rates varying by qualification level, health or disability status and ethnicity. Team two explored young people’s online and offline social connections and wellbeing, finding that wellbeing was more strongly associated with the presence and depth of social relationships than with time spent online alone. Team three examined trends in young people’s mental health, finding that psychological distress among 16- to 24-year-olds increased between 2009/10 and 2023/24 and was associated with poorer later health, long-standing illness or disability, and NEET outcomes. Team four investigated gig work, finding that gig workers were not especially concentrated among young people and that gig work often appeared temporary, though experiences are likely to vary across different types of platform work. Team five examined labour market inequalities among young people aged 16–24, finding that NEET rates were highest among disabled young people and were also elevated among those with lower or non-traditional qualifications and those living in the most deprived areas. These findings highlight important inequalities in labour market outcomes during the transition to adulthood. Team six investigated housing hardship and young adult employment outcomes, finding that young people who had not experienced housing hardship, particularly overcrowding, tended to have better later education and employment outcomes. Team seven explored the relationship between social media use and politics, finding no statistically significant association with political interest but a considerable and consistent positive association with attending political events. The findings suggest that social media may provide an additional route into interest and engagement with politics for some young people and is particularly relevant for groups facing economic or geographical disadvantage.Collectively, these provisional findings highlight the extent to which educational, economic, social and civic outcomes are interconnected during the transition to adulthood. Taken together, the results suggest that policies seeking to improve young people's life chances are likely to be most effective when they address multiple dimensions of young people's lives simultaneously, including education, employment, mental wellbeing, housing security, and the role that social connectedness may play in shaping both wellbeing and civic engagement.
Paper download#589269