Surveys across the world are having trouble getting young people to participate. This is also true for longitudinal surveys such as Understanding Society, where young people are more likely to miss out on waves of the study or drop out altogether. The central aim of this project is to further our understanding as to why young people are less likely to participate in Understanding Society. It will study the hypothesis that young people experience more life events such as a change in job, relationship status and a move of house, and it is the occurrence of such life events that are associated with a higher likelihood to not participate in the survey. An alternative hypothesis is that higher attrition are caused by age itself. Evidence for either or both hypothesis has implications for how the fieldwork of Understanding Society could be conducted.
Answering the question is important to find new ways to keep young people in Understanding Society, and ensure that their views are heard when data from the study are used to inform policy-making.
