Understanding survey participation among children, teenagers and young adults: opportunities, challenges and gaps |
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| Coordinator 1 | Dr Violetta Parutis (ISER, University of Essex) |
| Coordinator 2 | Dr Jonathan Burton (ISER, University of Essex) |
With response rates declining worldwide, most research into survey participation tends to focus on the adult population, with very little attention devoted to factors that influence survey response among children, teenagers and young people, especially in the longitudinal context. Collecting good quality robust longitudinal survey data about children and young adults is crucial, as research shows significant associations between experiences, attitudes and behaviours in childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, and later in life (Parutis, 2023). There is also a need to improve our understanding of the transition into adulthood, which is linked to numerous social, emotional, identity and behavioural changes that happen in young people’s life at the time. Therefore, research is needed to identify what drives young people’s participation, including recruitment and retention, in surveys, and what hinders their engagement in survey research.
This panel aims to bring together researchers from a variety of disciplines interested in sharing their experiences of surveying young people. We are interested in hearing from cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, as well as from qualitative research colleagues who would be willing to share their insights into this important but so far under-researched area.
Papers may include but are not limited to
• reasons behind survey non-response among this population
• innovative methods of increasing youth survey response rates
• best ways of engaging young audiences in on-going research
• ideas around how to reach and retain an audience that is constantly changing
• creative, effective and ethical techniques for online and offline engagement with under 18s
• ethical use of social media, youtube and other digital technologies in capturing and researching young people
The call for papers is aimed at those who have undertaken research with children and young adults. Comparisons with older respondents are also encouraged. Cross-national and cross-survey insights are welcome.