- England
#iwill have launched the results of the National Youth Social Action Survey 2017.
The appetite for social action remains strong: The majority of young people (58%) have taken part in some form of social action over the last 12 months, and 68% say they are likely to take part in the future.
However, only 39% take part in meaningful social action, which means they recognise the benefits to themselves and others and participate regularly throughout the year. This is a slight decline from 2016 but relatively steady compared to all other years since the baseline survey in 2014.
There continues to be a gap in meaningful social action participation between the most and least affluent young people (51% vs 32%). Young people from less affluent backgrounds, particularly those aged 16-20, take part significantly less than in 2016, contributing to the slight decline in participation overall in 2017.
This is important because those participating in meaningful social action are more likely to feel a range of benefits, reporting they do more sport and exercise, have higher life satisfaction and perceive that they have improved job prospects. This is in addition to the direct benefits to the people and environments young people are helping.
