Young People & Brexit. How are young people responding to Brexit, and how does it affect their political engagement?

Established in 2008, the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) draws together social science researchers from a number of disciplines including sociology, economics, geography and political science.

The Institute is based within five Universities in Wales: Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, South Wales and Swansea, and works in partnership with other UK Universities.

WISERD has been designated by the Welsh Government as a National Research CentreYoung People & Brexit is an interdisciplinary study of how young people in the UK feel about and are responding to the most significant policy issue of this Parliament: the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Drawing on both existing and new research from throughout WISERD, and the expertise of a range of organisations with expertise and interest in youth political engagement (including Youth Cymru, the National Assembly for Wales and Members of the UK Parliament) the study will consider a range of issues such as the impact of Brexit on young people’s broader engagement with politics and civil society; the ways they are responding to and trying to influence Brexit through their political behaviour; the consequences of the EU Referendum for young people’s interest in and feelings about UK and devolved politics; the ways Brexit have forced young people to reconsider their understandings of citizenship and identity; and the impact of the EU Referendum and Brexit itself on inter-generational conflict in domestic politics.

Following WISERD’s Young People and the EU Referendum study, this project employs a variety of methods and draws on data from a range of sources, including nationwide surveys, interviews and discussions with young people, and research films. Through the project’s blog, the research team will offer ongoing expert commentary and analysis of how Brexit is affecting young people and how young people themselves are trying to influence the Brexit process.

Furthermore, all of the project’s research will be presented and discussed at the project’s flagship conference ‘Young People & Brexit: 1 Year On’ in June 2017, where we will draw together a range of academics, politicians, civil society organisations and young people to not only discuss our research, but to consider how the voice of young people should be properly represented as the government negotiates the UK’s exit from the European Union.

• Primary Source

WISERD: Research Project: Young People and the EU Referendum http://wiserd.ac.uk/should-we-stay-or-should-we-go-young-people-and-eu-referendum/

ESO: Background information: Why young people are right to fear Brexit http://www.europeansources.info/record/why-young-people-are-right-to-fear-brexit/

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