Research

While there is much talk about young people, there is a lack of research about what drives young people to want to actively change their world. The Commission for Youth Social Enterprise has set out to fill this void by conducting an on-going research project on young people’s social ambition.

The Commission began as a group of 21 young social entrepreneurs with their own successful businesses and organizations but wanted to make it easier for others to make change. The research project began by asking: “How can society equip young people to make a lasting positive impact on their world?” but has refined its scope to ask:

What is a working definition of youth social enterprise?
What are youth’s attitudes toward social enterprise?
What barriers and facilitators to social enterprise have young people experienced in the UK?
What is happening with young social entrepreneurs in the UK?
What are drives young people to change their world?

The interim report will discuss the scholarly literature on young people’s social ambition, youth and social enterprise while setting out a roadmap for the rest of the Commission’s project. Comprehensive literature reviews and thorough analyses of data will be incorporated into the report (due for publication in April 2009).

The Commission will be conducting qualitative interviews, a
quantitative survey, and focus groups. For more information,
download our Research Methodology.