Young, passionate and engaged: how activism is sweeping Britain’s cities
Over half of students and young people (58%) identify as activists or are keen to engage in social activism, according to a new study by true student. We asked 2,000 young people across the UK aged between 15 and 22 years old how important activism was to them and the issues they were most passionate about.
Check out which UK cities are leading the way in youth activism and social change and find out which issues matter most in your area…
Where are the youth activism hotspots in the UK?
Using the results, we’ve mapped the cities which are leading the way in youth activism and are inspiring social change.
Liverpool is the youth activism capital of the UK with the highest percentage of activists (43%), followed by Cardiff (42%) and Birmingham (38%) in second and third place respectively. Plymouth (33%), Glasgow (32%) and Bristol (31%) are emerging hotspots with the highest numbers of aspiring activists.
Liverpool is the youth activism capital of the UK with the highest percentage of activists (43%), followed by Cardiff (42%) and Birmingham (38%) in second and third place respectively. Plymouth (33%), Glasgow (32%) and Bristol (31%) are emerging hotspots with the highest numbers of aspiring activists.
What are the most important issues and causes for Gen-Z?
Nationally, the consensus was that racial equality is the most important (33%), followed closely by women’s rights (28%) and climate change (26%). Animal welfare (26%) and gender equality (23%) followed closely behind, while global geopolitical issues came in last scoring only 8 per cent.
To see which issues matters most in your city, check out our charts for the top ten of the most popular causes and issues by city below.
What are the most popular forms of activism?
Technology has made it a lot easier to be an activist. Posting on social media is the most popular form of activism - 40% actively use it to advocate change, followed closely by signing petitions (38%). Demonstrations (12%), strikes (11%), boycotts (9%) and pickets (7%) are less popular.
How do I engage in activism?
While almost a third (32%) identified as activists, 26% said they were keen to become activists. With this in mind, we’ve included our top tips for engaging in activism with some handy resources below to help you become an advocate for social change.
For advice on starting a petition, contacting your MP and tips on how to get involved in activism see the links below
- https://www.change.org/
- https://www.writetothem.com/
- https://www.amnesty.org.uk/get-involved
- https://www.stylist.co.uk/news/politics/how-to-become-activist/528244
If you found this study helpful, comment and share the issues that matter to you the most!
*The research was commissioned by true Student and conducted by Censuswide with 2,006 UK respondents aged between 15-22 (nationally representative). Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.