Summary
A consortium of government departments commission a study on the behaviour and attitudes of young people in post-primary education in Northern Ireland.
Eight rounds of the survey have now taken place: in 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and most recently in 2022.
Methodology
Sample
The target population for this survey is young people at different stages in post-primary education. The Department of Education (DE) provided NISRA with a list of all post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. All post-primary schools were contacted and invited to participate in the survey. Those schools who agreed to participate provided details of the number of classes they had in Years 8-12. One class in each of the five year groups was then randomly selected. All pupils in these selected classes were invited to take part in the survey.
Data Collection
The data was collected in 2022 using a Blaise 5 computer-assisted self-completion questionnaire on Microsoft Surface Tablets. In most instances, children were surveyed one class at a time, often in a classroom setting. Some schools requested that the questionnaire be administered to multiple classes at once and in a few instances, all selected pupils at the same time; in these cases the survey was usually carried out in the school gym/assembly hall.
Weighting
Before analysis, the data are weighted to adjust for differences in the composition of the achieved sample compared to the same characteristics in the population, known as non-response weights. The non-response rates were applied sequentially to calibrate the characteristics of the achieved sample to the school population distribution (from the School Census, Department of Education) in respect of year group, sex and religion.
Questionnaire
As in previous years, two versions of the questionnaire were created to accommodate demand for topics on the 2022 survey. The full set of questions in each questionnaire can be found at the Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitude Survey 2022 page.
| Health & Wellbeing | Long Term Conditions |
| Education | Travelling to School |
| Nutrition | Personal Safety |
| Culture, Arts & Leisure | Social Media |
| Substance Use | Gambling |
| CPR & AED Training | Sexual Health |
| Care in the Sun | Organ Donation |
| Volunteering | Communication |
Previous YPBAS questionnaires are available to view.
Results / Publications
Key Findings from the 2022 Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitude Survey are available to view.
Results from previous rounds of the survey can be found at the Previous YPBAS publications page.
Further Analysis
Further analysis published by commissioning departments in 2022:
- Department for Communities - Engagement in culture, arts and sport by young people in Northern Ireland 2022
- Department for Communities - Experience of sport by young people in Northern Ireland 2022
- Department for Communities - Experience of culture and the arts by young people in Northern Ireland 2022
- Department for Communities - Experience of gambling by young people in Northern Ireland 2022
- Department for Communities - Experience of volunteering by young people in Northern Ireland 2022
- Department of Health - Young persons behaviour and attitudes survey 2022 - gambling
- Department of Health - Young persons behaviour and attitudes survey 2022 - substance use
- Department for the Economy - Careers Advice and Guidance and Future Intentions 2022
Further analysis published by commissioning departments in 2019:
- Department for the Economy - Careers Advice and Guidance and University 2019 Statistical Factsheet
- Department for Infrastructure - 2019 Travel to/from School Factsheet
- The Executive Office - Self-efficacy, Locus of Control and Life Satisfaction among Young People 2019
- The Executive Office - Our Young People: Perceptions of the Outcomes Framework 2019
Contacts
For more information about the Young Persons Behaviour and Attitudes Survey please contact:
Telephone: 028 90 255 118
Email: csu@nisra.gov.uk