Frequently Asked Questions

We want to understand how young people experience meaning in their lives. Research shows that higher levels of meaningfulness in children is positively associated with higher wellbeing, higher positive emotions and lower negative emotions, and lower levels of social and emotional difficulties. In developing the YMI we aim to provide policymakers with the tools to help young people lead more meaningful lives.

Children, adolescents, and all youth from diferent countries around the world.

Data is collected online using a computer or tablet. For younger children, adults will ask the questions to children and fill in their answers in the survey. For older youth, they can fill the online YMI survey on their own.

Demographic variables such as age and gender are collected in the survey. All responses are anonymous.

Data and results will be open sourced to further research in the field.

Each organization participating in the YMI survey will receive a meaningfulness report, which will provide insights on how much meaning youth in their organization are experiencing.

Child protection is our top priority throughout all phases of the project. We incorporate the following measures to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants:

• • • Informed consent:  We will adhere to the laws of the relevant country where we collect data. In addition, our data collectors read an age-appropriate explanation of the YMI and the survey to obtain the assent of the children before asking them any questions.
    • Privacy and confidentiality: Data collected is anonymous.
    • Age-appropriate language: We take the age and maturity level of participants into account in our survey questions and interactions. We will not ask any harmful or distressing questions.

In the case that we identify any concerning responses from children, we will reach out to the relevant organization and let them know about it. Responses are anonymous, thus, we will not be able to identify respondents.