Young people face complex challenges, and youth-serving institutions require actionable, timely, youth-centered insights to guide effective support.

The state of the world for young people today is shaped by the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid technological change, polarized political discourse, and ongoing movements for social change. While researchers often examine the impact of such influences, few studies center young people’s own perspectives. The State of Young People addresses this gap by gathering insights from a nationally representative sample of 1,500 young people and drawing on the expertise of youth-serving nonprofit leaders across the country. Together, these stakeholders—young people and the adults who serve them each day—are uniquely positioned to identify evidence gaps most critical to the field. Each year, they create a research agenda to surface actionable insights that inform youth-serving institutions and systems change. The 2024 study explores four urgent topics: sociopolitical divisiveness and healing, civic education, artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, and mental health—offering youth-driven solutions to help young people thrive.

AmeriSpeak®, in partnership with America’s Promise Alliance and Mathematica, conducted an annual, nationally representative survey of young people’s well-being.  

AmeriSpeak partnered with America’s Promise Alliance and Mathematica to design and implement a large-scale, nationally representative survey of young people ages 13 to 24.  

One of the key challenges was reaching a representative sample that reflected the full spectrum of youth experiences across race, ethnicity, income, geography, and other key dimensions while also ensuring that the questions resonated with young respondents. AmeriSpeak addressed this challenge by using the AmeriSpeak Teen panel, which enables scientifically valid sampling of hard-to-reach youth populations. We worked closely with youth advisors to develop and refine a questionnaire that was relevant, inclusive, and safe for participants, particularly around sensitive topics like mental health, identity, and belonging. The result was a survey instrument that balanced scientific rigor with youth-centered design.

Our approach highlights AmeriSpeak’s strengths in research design, innovative sampling methods, and thoughtful engagement with vulnerable populations. The resulting data give national visibility to young people’s voices at a time of urgent need—supporting nonprofit leaders, funders, and policymakers in building systems that better reflect and respond to youth realities.