Research News

Here at Youthscape, we have been reading through Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation. In short, his hypothesis is that the smart phone has shifted childhood from play-based to phone-based, causing a ‘re-wiring’ which has resulted in an epidemic of mental illness in ‘Gen-Z’. We will consider the ins and outs of this argument in a future blog but, for now, I want to turn my attention away from young people and towards us as adults. It is my view that order to look out at the world and work toward positive transformation, we must first look at ourselves…

Following the recent publication of The Big Ambition report and increasing conversations about the impending General Election, Hannah explores some of the research around young people and politics. What do young people care about politically? Who are they likely to vote for? How can we ensure their voices are listened to?

Following on from reflecting on Springtide’s The Sacred research in Vol.27 of The Story, it feels pertinent to continue thinking about the concept of the ‘sacred’ and what this means in youth ministry. So, here’s some further insights into defining this term

The upcoming Annual Youthscape/St Mellitus Lecture is tackling the topical subject of ‘Young people, leadership and transparency in the Church’. There is so much to unpack in this and it couldn’t be more timely. Gemma reflects on what it might mean to centre young people’s voices as we rethink what leadership can look like.

This week we launched our Feel Good News Report, the second part of our Translating God research. In a nutshell it discusses what about the Christian faith felt like good news to today’s young people.