Young in Norway is a longitudinal study which follows individuals from adolescence and into adulthood. The goal of the study is to give a picture of social and psychological aspects of growing up in Norway. The participants have at several instances completed extensive self-report forms with questions concerning various aspects of their lives, which have then been connected to several national registers.
Norwegian Social Research NOVA, which since 2014 is a part of Oslo Metropolitan University, oversees the survey. We cooperate closely with the University of Oslo and NTNU.
From 1992 to the present
The study began in 1992. At that time all of 12,000 students from 67 different junior high schools all around Norway participated. The questionnaire given to them at the time concerned personal development, recreation, relationship to parents, attitudes, mental health, education, work and school.
The same participants completed a new questionnaire in 1994. A part of the adolescents were then followed up in 1999 and 2005. In 2005, we also asked to use information from various registers, thereby providing data about the participants on topics such as education, occupation, and various health conditions. The last data collection was carried out in autumn 2020 / spring 2021 when the participants were in their 40s.
1992 | 1st Data Collection
The first data collection was carried out at 67 junior and senior high schools around the country. Participants were 13-19 years old and 97% participated.
1994 | 2nd Data Collection
The second data collection was carried out partly at the schools and partly by mail. Participants were 15-21 years old and 92% participated.
1999 | 3rd Data Collection
The third data collection was carried out by mail. Participants were 20-26 years old and 84% participated.
2005 | 4th Data Collection
The fourth data collection was carried out by mail. Participants were 26-32 years old and 82% participated.
2020/2021 | 5th Data Collection
The fifth data collection was carried out digitally. Participants were 41-47 years old and 86% participated.
Unique study
Young in Norway was the first longitudinal youth study conducted in Norway. It is unique due to the high number of participants, the high percentage of replies and the long follow-up time – the first survey was carried out 28 years ago!
The results have been published in over a hundred scientific papers and in several reports and books. Many have completed their doctorate using data from the study and we have provided the political sphere with advice on many subjects.
On our topics page we provide you with snippets regarding our fields of research and you will also find a separate list of publications.