Investigating Young People’s Views and Experiences of Social and Cultural Infrastructure in England, Scotland and Wales

The British Academy initially commissioned ⁠London Development Trust to carry out a research project investigating young people’s views and needs in relation to social and cultural infrastructure in London.

A second phase of the project extended the research to sites across England, Scotland and Wales, with a total of 107 young people participating in focus groups across seven locations.

This phase aimed to explore regional and demographic variations, investigate and deepen our knowledge of insights from the first phase, and to refine the card deck method developed in the first phase as a co-creative tool for decision making with young people.

This research highlights that young people’s greatest concerns are not so much about what’s available but about whether they can safely, affordably and confidently access what already exists. When young people do access social and cultural infrastructure, they report profound benefits, from improved wellbeing to stronger civic engagement.

The full report provides in-depth analysis by region, age, and identity and offers policy implications for designing, funding, and sustaining youth-inclusive social and cultural infrastructure across the UK, as well as suggestions for using the card deck method to engage young people in decision making.

• Young people across the UK feel excluded from the design and delivery of social and cultural infrastructure, despite its critical role in their wellbeing and future outcomes.
• Meaningful youth engagement must move beyond consultation to tangible change, with clear feedback loops and visible outcomes.
• Barriers such as safety, affordability, transport, and lack of inclusive support limit access to meaningful opportunities and need to be addressed.
• A stable, long-term commitment to investment in youth-focused infrastructure including spaces, activities and staff should be prioritised.
• Investment in improving and maintaining the public realm, including parks and streets, providing adequate lighting and youth-inclusive design is vital for wellbeing, sociability, and equitable access to nature and public space.
• Policymakers must take a holistic, relational approach that considers how infrastructures connect and operate as part of young people’s everyday ecosystems.

To accompany the report, London Development Trust have produced a youth-friendly publication summarising the research project.