Young People and British Identity

Public Sector

Ipsos was commissioned by The Camelot Foundation to conduct research among young people, aged 16 to 21 years, on the meaning of Britishness as a national identity. The study has been commissioned to bring to the debate young people's perspectives on what a national identity means to them, the relevance it has to their lives and its currency in present day culture.

13 July 2007

Public opinion

The idea for this research grew from a seminar that The Foundation held on 13th July 2005, only two days after the tragedy of the London bombings, as we have read and seen in the media there was an immense sense of solidarity as we were united in our grief and shock – it lead to many questions about the sense of identity and Britishness at our seminar for the young people that attended. Our former Director, Susan Elizabeth, developed this research at the outset; her role in shaping this work was fundamental.

One of the many virtues of this work is that it has served as a reminder of some of the facts that face young people everyday and through commissioning Ipsos we wanted to connect directly with the voice of those young people.

The Foundation considers itself unique through its combination of targeted grant giving and direct programme delivery. We aim to make a real difference to the lives of the most disadvantaged young people and show that they have a positive role to play in shaping their own futures and the future of their communities. When we review our grant making and programme delivery we do so with an unblinking focus on reaching the marginalised young people that The Foundation was set up to serve by Camelot Group plc in 1997. The commitment of our Trustees and sponsor allows us to strive for innovation and to tackle issues that will secure real change in policy and practice.

It is always a privilege to work directly with our young people and this report is a product of their support too – the photographs are of young people that have been on the 4front journey; a development programme for young people that aims to develop skills, broaden thinking and encourage leadership. To the participants of the research we owe great thanks for sharing their views. We are confi dent that this research will mark the beginning of a new journey for The Foundation and inform our thinking and that of others for the future.