In 2021 as part of the No Knives, Better Lives programme, YouthLink Scotland explored what it is like to be a boy or young man in Scotland today. The purpose of the research was to develop and deepen our understanding of how young people feel about masculinity and growing up.
Lots of young people took part in our research and we were a little surprised at the high level of interest. This showed us that this is an important subject and young people really wanted to talk about it.
A total of 1230 young people across Scotland completed a survey, 25 young people took part in focus groups and 5 adult practitioners (adults who work with young people) were interviewed. The themes explored included stereotypes and expectations, risky behaviour, community and relationships, ideal futures and support needed to explore masculinity.