Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Voice of Youth, 2015-2016 (VoY) was designed to complement the 2015 national evaluation of the National Citizens Service (NCS). NCS is a Government-backed initiative that brings together young people aged 15-17 from different backgrounds, giving them the chance to undertake a programme of personal and social development and community action. The national evaluation included a postal survey of young people who registered interest in NCS, including those who took part and a comparison group of those who registered interest but ultimately did not take part. Those who took part in the baseline survey were sent a follow-up survey 3 months later.The data was collected for two purposes. The primary purpose was to replicate the questions and timing of the UK National Citizen Service (NCS) 2015 participant evaluation. The VoY data aimed to capture the same information as that collected in the NCS evaluation. Furthermore, it was conducted over the same period as the participants were evaluated. In doing so, the aim was to generate a comparison group composed of a nationally representative sample of 16-17 year olds to use alongside the NCS evaluation data. This was designed to produce a non-equivalent control-group design study. The secondary purpose for which the data was collected was to explore, among a nationally-representative sample of young people, the relationships between the schools young people go to, and the neighbourhoods in which they live, and their dynamics of inter-group relations and wider social cohesion. The panel element of this survey aimed to provide opportunities to test these relationships longitudinally. Additional questions not present on the NCS evaluation were therefore also included in the survey to facilitate this secondary aim. Data collection took place with an average time interval of 4-5 months between the surveys. Background variables include ethnicity, youth...