Young people's participation in decision making: attitudes and perceptions

1. Introduction

This report presents findings from a survey of secondary school pupils in Scotland on perceptions of their ability to influence decisions that affect their lives. The aim of the research was to better understand the extent to which young people feel they can make their views heard and that those views are acted on by adults in general, in and out of school activities and at school.

Background

In 2018, the Scottish Government published the Progressing the Human Rights of Children in Scotland Action Plan 2018-2021^[1] which identifies actions to work towards "A Scotland where children are recognised as citizens in their own right and where their human rights are embedded in all aspects of society; a Scotland where policy, law and decision making takes account of children's rights and where all children have a voice and are empowered to be human rights defenders."

One of the four areas of action identified in the action plan is to develop a strategic approach to children and young people's participation, building on the legacy of the Year of Young People (YOYP) 2018. This aim is to mainstream the participation of children and young people in decision-making across Scottish society.

The findings of this report will provide an understanding of young people's involvement in decision making in schools and out of school activities and groups, as well as any variation between different sociodemographic groups.

Methods

The Young People in Scotland Survey is an online omnibus survey run by Ipsos MORI Scotland, which surveys a representative sample of pupils in Scotland aged 11 to 18 in 50 state secondary schools in Scotland. Fieldwork was carried out between 16 September and 26 November 2019 and 1731 pupils responded. The data was weighted by gender, year group, urban-rural classification, and SIMD classification.^[2]

The analysis and reporting was undertaken by the Scottish Government, Children and Families Analytical Services.