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Barriers to opportunity for children and young people

One of the government’s five missions, outlined in 2025, is to Break Down Barriers to Opportunity. The aim is to weaken the links between background and destiny – as Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, says: “Life shouldn’t come down to luck”. Understanding Society’s Insights report for this

16 Jul 2026

Austerity hit young people’s mental health

We know that young people’s mental health has been declining around the world in recent years. We also know that young people’s services tend to be the first cut when budgets are reduced, because they are seen to have less urgent needs than, for example, older people. However, until now, we didn’t know much about

20 Mar 2026

Unpaid work – the missing link in the gender gap

Work is a very important factor in health. Generally, employment benefits health through material and psychosocial factors such as the ability to pay for food and a home, and feelings of self-worth. These benefits vary by stress-related factors such as security, pay, hours and autonomy. All this is nothing new. But employment might be only half

19 Dec 2025

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17 Jul 2024

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SGS ESRC Institute for Social and Economic Research University of Essex

The Economic and Social Research Council is the primary funder of the study
The Study is led by a team at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex.

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