Young people in 2022 face an endemic lack of security. Our research has shown that nearly half of young people today live precariously. Clearly, systemic individualism is not working.
Through a process of diary research, we followed young people’s lives over the course of a year. We heard from young people trying to overcome challenges of low pay, high costs and overall precarity in the face of a system which wasn’t designed to support independence or a transition to adulthood.
A lack of collective security, characterised by an underfunded social security net and a fractured social contract, means that young people are facing structural challenges as individuals first and foremost.
We call this atomisation:
The breaking of societal bonds that should support young people, leaving them isolated and vulnerable. We believe atomisation has a fundamental relationship with economic insecurity.
This report presents our findings, frames the methodology behind our diary research and introduces the young people we met..
We also investigate the phenomenon of atomisation in more detail, using the words and stories of young people to explore two case study domains that loom large in their lives: housing and work.
For example, we heard how:
The report also explores the action needed and provide a high-level stakeholder map of key influencers with a stake in young people’s economic security.
State of paralysis focuses on young people’s (16-24-year-olds) economic security and what it means for their health and wellbeing.
Read the findings and recommendations of our report on the mental health benefits of a universal basic income for young people.
New research from the RSA, in partnership Northumbria University, explores the possible benefits of a universal basic income in the UK.
