Young in Norway is Norway's first major longitudinal study of youth. It follows people from adolescence to adulthood. The last data collection was carried out in autumn 2020 and spring 2021.
The study aims to provide an overview of the social and psychological aspects of growing up in Norway. Among other things, we ask questions such as: What is it like growing up in Norway? What influences our lifestyle and mental health? What kind of education and occupation do we choose? Who gets on the edge of the law? Who forms stable intimate relationships and establishes a family? How do social and psychological gender differences develop through the life course and how can we understand such differences?
The study is unique because of the large number of participants, the high response rate, and the long follow-up time.
Young in Norway is based on self-report surveys where participants have provided comprehensive information about various aspects of their lives. The first round was in 1992 when about 12.000 students from 67 junior and senior high schools throughout the country participated.
The questionnaire focused on personal development, social networking, leisure, relationship with parents, attitudes, mental health, education, work, and school. Participants were followed up in 1994 and a subsample was further followed up in 1999 and 2005.
In 2005, we asked participants to consent to linkages to several nationwide registers, providing information about education, labor marked inclusion, and health. The last data collection, the fifth in the study, was carried out in autumn 2020 and spring 2021. The participants were 41-47 years old and 86% of the invited participated.
