Challenge
The cohort of young people who were in Year 11 in the 2020/21 academic year experienced some of the most acute effects of COVID-19 on their schooling, experiencing severe disruption at a crucial transitional stage in their education.
The COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) study was set up in 2021 to understand the short- and longer-term impacts of the pandemic on educational inequality, wellbeing and social mobility. This national longitudinal cohort study is the largest of its kind to assess the effects of the pandemic on the life chances of a generation of young people.
The COSMO study was carried out by Verian working in collaboration with the UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO), the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), and the Sutton Trust. The project was supported by the Department for Education (DfE) and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Approach
Verian led two waves of data collection with the same households. The study included both young people and their parents using a sequential mixed-mode design which comprised an initial online data collection phase and a subsequent face-to-face stage.
The first wave of the study, which started in autumn 2021, recruited a representative sample of over 13,000 young people in Year 12 across England who were due to take their GCSEs in 2021. The first study asked them about their experiences of the pandemic and their future hopes and plans. Wave two took place when the cohort was in Year 13 or equivalent. Fieldwork started in autumn 2022 and asked about broader topics beyond the pandemic such as: education, training or work; future aspirations; university applications; cost-of-living challenges; and mental health and wellbeing. Data from parents provide important contextual and socio-demographic information to link with the youth data.
The study has provided a high-quality longitudinal dataset which has supported rich insights into the experiences and perceptions of young people who experienced a unique set of challenges in a key transitional period of their life.
Impact
The COSMO dataset has led to a range of outputs produced by academics at UCL and the Sutton Trust as well as supporting wider analysis by the Office for National Statistics. The study has provided important evidence on inequalities, demonstrating that pandemic impacts have been felt unevenly, particularly by those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Findings have highlighted: substantial gaps between the state and private sector in quality of lockdown learning; a greater propensity for females and disadvantaged young people to change their plans due to Covid-19; that nearly half of young people in this cohort experienced elevated mental health problems which was significantly higher than the level observed among previous age-equivalent cohorts; and greater mental health problems among females and those who experienced health issues, financial struggles or other major life events.
The study has provided important evidence to inform policy on addressing these impacts, especially among those groups who have experienced disproportionate burden.
More information
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