Author
Abstract
Household longitudinal surveys increasingly depend on children’s and adolescents’ continued cooperation, yet evidence on what sustains youth participation is limited. This study explores how participation in Understanding Society’s youth self-completion survey is initiated, organised, and maintained in households. Semi-structured remote interviews with 11 households (young people aged 10–16 and one parent/carer) were analysed thematically using social exchange and leverage-saliency lenses. Participation is typically household-mediated, with parents acting as facilitators and gatekeepers. Engagement is sustained through routine and study legitimacy but becomes fragile during transitions. Implications include improving youth access, digital usability, incentive delivery, and trust-signalling at key handover points.