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Exploring Young People's Aspirations through Location Influence

This study delves into the impact of location on young people's aspirations, examining factors like social dynamics, urban labor market perceptions, and neighborhood influences. The research challenges assumptions about low aspirations in disadvantaged areas and explores the dynamics shaping realistic and ideal aspirations. With a focus on the connection between aspirations and contextual factors, the study offers insights into how to support young individuals in achieving their goals.

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Exploring Young People's Aspirations through Location Influence

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  1. Knowing Their Place: How Location Makes A Difference in Young People’s Aspirations. October 12, 2011 Keith Kintrea and Ralf St.Clair, University of Glasgow

  2. What are aspirations? Aspire: ‘To aim at or strive for high things’ Aspirations: ‘Desires and ambitions about the future’ ‘Lofty hopes or aims’

  3. Aims To understand the relationship between young people’s aspirations and the context in which they are formed: • Are young people's aspirations in disadvantaged areas low? • Do their aspirations fall in the teenage years due to local factors? • To what extent are their aspirations influenced by: • The social dynamics of the immediate neighbourhood • The perceptions of the wider urban labour market?

  4. A model of aspiration formation Experiences Relationships Circumstances Family Individual ASPIRATION MOTIVATION OUTCOMES Place School

  5. Ideal and Realistic Aspirations ‘Ideal’ aspirations: what an individual would do if there were no constraints ‘Realistic aspirations’ what an individual expects to do given their circumstances (‘expectations’)

  6. The politics of aspiration- Labour ‘...I want for our young people the biggest expansion in educational opportunity our country has ever seen. And we will be truly world class in education only if we raise the aspirations of young people themselves..’ (Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister, 2007)

  7. ...and Conservative/Liberal Democrats The aspiration to have a better life, to get a better job, to give your children a better future. The aspiration to work the extra hour. These aspirations are the most powerful forces in our nation. (Osborne, 2010).

  8. Schools White Paper 2011 ‘In far too many communities there is a deeply embedded culture of low aspiration that is strongly tied to long term unemployment. (DoE, 2010, p.4)

  9. Existing Evidence on Aspirations and Neighbourhood • Aspirations appear often to be high- at young ages and among parents • But aspirations influenced by other factors: schools, labour markets & employment practices, environment and reputations

  10. Methods and Data • Longitudinal survey of young people in 3 secondary schools (Glasgow, Nottingham, London (Newham)) at age 13 (490 cases) then 15 (288 cases) • Matched data set to make comparisons at 13/15 • Schools are situated in disadvantaged areas and/ or have disadvantaged intakes • Supplemented by 175 interviews with parents and 33 with school staff and community reps.

  11. Characteristics of the Young People at Age 13 and Age 15

  12. Home addresses of respondents attributed to IMD deciles (1 = High deprivation)

  13. Percent agreeing “I would like to go to university” by age and city

  14. Ideal and Realistic occupational aspirations at 13 compared to current GB labour market

  15. Ideal and Realistic occupations at 15 compared to current GB labour market

  16. Aspirations and neighbourhood • High exposure to neighbourhood and peers • Limited intra urban mobility- esp.. in London • Positive views of own neighbourhoods • Most adults there are ‘doing well in life’ • A desire to move away by a majority overall, and esp. in Nottingham • However, no clear and consistent relationships between deprivation and aspirations

  17. Occupational aspirations by SOC at age 13 and 15 in Nottingham (%)

  18. Occupational aspirations by SOC at age 13 and 15 in Glasgow (%)

  19. Occupational aspirations by SOC at age 13 and 15 in London

  20. Thoughts to conclude Challenges assumptions about: • Low aspirations • Relationship between aspirations and disadvantage • Depression of aspirations during teenage years • Influence of neighbourhood and labour market context • ‘Realism’ of occupational aspirations

  21. Disadvantaged areas are not the same: London: highly aspirational migrant community; school, parents and young people oriented in same direction. Nottingham: white working class- residual tendency to prepare for working class jobs. School selectively supportive, parents supportive but vague Glasgow: a social mix, but more a sense of parallel lives than social mixing.

  22. Implications • Emphasises the importance of local programmes– how do we make this compatible with a national policy? • How do we ensure young people can achieve their aspirations? • What sort of evidence gaps remain?

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