Equitable Futures National Youth Poll 2020-2021
About the Survey
Here you can find research briefs and highlighted findings from the Equitable Futures National Youth Poll — a series of nationwide polls surveying Black and Latino youth from a broad spectrum of household incomes and white youth from households with lower incomes. This research was conducted by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research from August 2020 to May 2021 with support from Equitable Futures, a project of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is part of the Foundation’s broader portfolio to build more equitable education and employment pathways for all young people.
While the 2020-21 polls primarily focused on impacts on young people from COVID-19 with respect to their life experiences and their educational and career choices, questions were added on other subjects such as racial justice and policing and the 2020 presidential election. When notable, non-COVID findings from the polls will be highlighted on this page and elsewhere.
Optimism about the future
Optimism about the future
COVID-19 and Other Key Events Impacting Young People: Highlighted Findings
Research Brief: Wave 1
Research Brief: Racial Justice
Research Brief: Waves 2&3
Research Brief: Wave 4
In 2021, of young people polled
of young people who changed their plans
You can also find summaries of highlighted research findings from Goodwin Simon Strategic Research on all four waves of the Equitable Futures National Youth Poll.
- Survey Methodology (PDF)
- Key Research Findings on COVID Youth Survey Wave 1 (PDF)
- Wave 1 Survey Results Slides (PDF)
- Key Research Findings on COVID Youth Survey Wave 2 (PDF)
- Wave 2 Survey Results Slides (PDF)
- Key Research Findings on COVID Youth Survey Wave 3 (PDF)
- Wave 3 Survey Results Slides (PDF)
- National Youth Survey Findings Memo, 2019*
- Data Visualizations from Waves 1-4
* conducted as part of the Striving to Thriving Research in 2019
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