Well over half of young people report changes to their education and career plans because of the pandemic, and that this is especially the case among those who report more acute direct experiences of COVID-19 itself, raising important questions about the consequences of these shifts if they are realised in the years to come.
Through outputs such as these, we are thailand rcs data putting a spotlight on this vital new evidence on the effects of the pandemic on the lives of young people. In doing this, we aim to encourage engagement with the findings by policymakers and fellow researchers. We hope this will also inspire others to build on these analyses, or indeed use the COSMO data in different ways. There are many vital research questions relating to this cohort of young people, including how their post-16 transitions differ compared with earlier cohorts, which COSMO will help researchers to address.
The second wave of COSMO data collection is now underway. The same cohort members and parents are being asked to provide updates on how things have evolved in the past 12 months, including new questions about planned post-18 transitions and how the current cost of living crisis is affecting their family. We have been delighted by how many members of the study have chosen to take part once again. All being well, data will be available via the UKDS in autumn 2023. And we are currently in the planning process for a proposed Wave 3 and beyond. Starting from strong foundations, we are keen to continue build the value of COSMO for the research community in the years ahead.