黑料社

TODAY鈥橲 young people can be dubbed the 鈥淐oronavirus Generation鈥� and the pandemic will have a long-lasting effect on their lives, according to a 黑料社 lecturer who has helped analyse the data from a research project that aimed to appraise the impact of the virus on UK youth.

Findings include statistics which show that more than 90 per cent of young people were stringently observing the lockdown and that 80 per cent of them are seeking news not from social media but from traditional outlets, including ministerial briefings.

鈥淲e assume that the young have rejected these traditional forms of media.  But the research shows that they don鈥檛 feel secure in navigating the social media world of 鈥榝ake news鈥�.  Many young people are using traditional media 鈥� maybe for the first time 鈥� because they can consume it with a certain amount of reliability,鈥� said , who is the University鈥檚 Reader in Politics.

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He has collaborated on the production of the , compiled by the organisation , which researches national youth trends.

During late March and early April it surveyed 1,535 young people, aged 16-25.  It was found that 91% of respondents said that they are strictly adhering to government advice.  But there are negative strains on young people鈥檚 family relationships and 65% of young people said they were worried about their mental health in light of Covid-19.

The report makes a series of recommendations, including a call for the Government to establish a National Young Person鈥檚 Response Unit.  Also, local authorities and businesses need to build young people into their recovery task forces and there should be statutory digital citizenship education programmes to provide young people with the digital literacy to equip them for life in the 鈥榥ew normal鈥�.

Dr Mycock, who is a co-investigator for the Leverhulme Trust-funded  project, was called on to help analyse the results of the Take the Temperature survey.

鈥淢ost young people are observing the lockdown in an exemplary manner, but are increasingly anxious about their future prospects, their careers, their educational progress and the direction of society,鈥� said Dr Mycock.

鈥淢any of the structures that underpin transition to adulthood have completely and utterly fragmented.  And the young feel isolated because policymakers haven鈥檛 been particularly engaged with them when making decisions that have profound effects on young people鈥檚 lives,鈥� he said.

The  is now landing on the desks of policymakers and the Government needs to think about how it brings young people into debates as the country comes out of lockdown into a world that will be very different, continued Dr Mycock.

鈥淲e have made a strong effort to ensure that the people who make policies pick up on this report,鈥� he added, describing today鈥檚 young people as the Covid-19 or Coronavirus Generation. 

鈥淭he effects of this are not going to work themselves out in one or two years.  It may well be that this is the generation whose lives are fundamentally changed forever,鈥� said Dr Mycock, who is continuing working with Beatfreeks on charting the views of UK youth over the next 18 months.