Young people’s Well-being and Civic Participation During the Norwegian Coronavirus Lockdown

This study investigates the well-being and civic participation of young Norwegians during the first stages of the coronavirus pandemic when the Norwegian society was under lockdown.

When schools closed, schoolwork moved into the pupils’ bedrooms. Leisure activities and cultural arrangements were forbidden, and meeting friends was severely restricted. This was an unprecedented experience for youths as well as their parents.

In the first phase of the project, we investigate the elements that influenced their well-being during lockdown and how their different experiences were influenced by differences in resources in themselves and their contexts, and how young people interpreted the restrictions as well as their possibilities for civic engagement under the social distancing regime.

In the project’s second phase, we plan an in-depth analysis of the differences between the youths’ experiences.

Based on the longitudinal qualitative study Inequality in youth, the study is based on interviews with 40 14-15-year-olds. The youths are from four highly different communities in Norway with regards to social-economic resources, education level and geographical centrality.