The purpose of the project is to lay the foundation for developing new and relevant knowledge about young people, their upbringing, everyday lives, and life situations. This will be achieved by, among other things, creating valid measurement instruments that better capture conditions at both the individual and societal levels.

Today’s youth generations, Generation Z (born 1996–2012) and Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024), are often associated with new expectations toward working life, high technological competence, being financially oriented, value-driven, and spending significant time on screens. Their formative years have included the pandemic; they have never lived in a time without the internet and smartphones, and they are growing up in a period of increasing global unrest. Research also shows that these generations are experiencing negative trends related to mental health, quality of life, and school motivation, and we are seeing notable shifts in attitudes that raise concern. There is therefore a need to develop research-based insights about these generations, as well as measurement instruments that truly capture the real and relevant factors that can give us knowledge about them.

A central societal development is the increasing use of digital media. Many suggest that digitalization is an important cause of negative trends among today’s youth, including mental health issues, declining school performance, social exclusion, and the shaping of opinions. In an increasingly media-saturated everyday life, it is challenging to measure not only time spent online, but also types of use, media choices, different forms of media influence, and the consequences of these.

Another significant development is increased individualization, meaning that society and community life have shifted from being organized around the collective to being centered around the individual. As communities weaken, young people are increasingly left to rely on their own ability to make good choices. It is not always easy to know what constitutes a good choice, especially when one is young, lacks life experience, and faces few established frameworks or norms to navigate by. While some experience this freedom of choice as a clear benefit, for others it can be overwhelming and chaotic. How do adolescents prioritize, how do they make key decisions, and how do they relate to the communities around them?

To develop knowledge about and insight into these generational changes, it is crucial to involve children and young people in the research—not only as informants, but also as active participants in the research process itself.

• Department of Sociology and Political Science, Professor Brita Bungum
• HUNT, Professor Steinar Krokstad and Associate Professor Hanne Nissen Bjørnsen