Table A.5 outlines the details of the sample profile for the 2023 study; covering all 11 to 17 year olds who participated in the Young People Omnibus.

Table A.5 - Sample profile 2023

Table A.5: Sample profile 2023.
Sample group	Unweighted (number)	Unweighted (percentage)	Weighted (percentage)
Total	3453	100%	100%
Gender of pupils
Male	1593	46%	48%
Female	1660	48%	47%
Non-binary	76	2%	2%
In another way	43	1%	1%
Prefer not to say	81	2%	2%
Age of pupils
11	94	3%	3%
12	654	19%	19%
13	836	24%	19%
14	719	21%	19%
15	680	20%	22%
16	167	5%	10%
17	284	8%	6%
Year of pupils²
7	554	16%	19%
8	903	26%	20%
9	684	20%	19%
10	783	23%	18%
11	167	5%	16%
12	359	10%	7%
Ethnic origin
White	2666	77%	76%
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)	724	21%	22%
Region
London	269	8%	14%
South East	814	24%	15%
South West	132	4%	8%
North East	224	7%	4%
North West	317	9%	11%
East of England	336	10%	10%
East Midlands	241	7%	8%
West Midlands	461	13%	10%
Yorkshire and Humberside	228	7%	9%
Scotland	239	7%	7%
Wales	192	6%	4%

Profile of schools

In this section we analyse how the sample of participating schools compares with the population of schools that are eligible for YPO (that is, maintained secondary schools in England, Wales and Scotland). The information for England and Wales is drawn from Department of Education’s ‘Get Information About Schools’ database, and the equivalent for Scotland. Less detailed information is available on the sampling frames for schools in Wales and Scotland, and the analysis is based on the information available for each country for each variable. We analyse the profiles of schools for a range of variables, including school type; regional distribution; urban or rural profile; and proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Type of establishment

Figures for type of establishment are shown below. The proportions in the population and starting sample are similar. There is a slight over-representation in the proportion of academies, and a slight under-representation of independent schools and free schools, which was corrected by weighting the data. However, in practice, free schools are very similar to academies, so this is unlikely to introduce any bias in the sample.

Table A.6: Profile of school type for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample

Table A.6: Profile of school type for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample.
School type	Percentage of population (all schools eligible to be sampled)	Percentage of all schools sampled for YPO 2022	Percentage of schools participating in YPO 2022
Academies	54%	66%	62%
Free schools	7%	4%	4%
Local authority maintained schools	14%	17%	16%
Independent schools	12%	4%	1%
Welsh schools	5%	5%	6%
Scottish schools	9%	5%	10%

The regional breakdown of the population, starting sample, and participating sample is shown below. The participating sample over-represents schools in the North East and South East compared with the starting sample and population, and slightly under-represents schools in the East Midlands, London, and North West.

Table A.7: Regional profile for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample

Table A.7: Regional profile for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample.
Region	Percentage of population (all schools eligible to be sampled)	Percentage of all schools sampled for YPO 2022	Percentage of schools participating in YPO 2022
East Midlands	7%	8%	4%
East of England	9%	10%	10%
London	13%	15%	10%
North East	4%	4%	9%
North West	13%	12%	10%
Scotland	9%	5%	10%
South East	13%	15%	16%
South West	8%	9%	6%
Wales	5%	5%	6%
West Midlands	11%	11%	13%
Yorkshire and the Humber	8%	8%	6%
Total (number)	3241	657	69

The distribution of urban and rural schools in England, Scotland and Wales is consistent between the sample and participating schools. However, this slightly over-represents those in urban areas with 91 percent of participating schools being located in urban areas compared with 85 percent of the population.

Table A.8: Rural and/or urban profile for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample

Table A.8: Rural and/or urban profile for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample.
Urban or rural	Percentage of population (all schools eligible to be sampled)	Percentage of all schools sampled for YPO 2023	Percentage of schools participating in YPO 2022
All urban	85%	91%	91%
All rural	15%	9%	9%

The table below shows the average percent eligible for free school meals in England and Wales. The figures for the population, starting sample and participating sample are broadly comparable.

Table A.9: School size, and average percentage pupils eligible for free school meals for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample

Table A.9: School size, and average percentage pupils eligible for free school meals for school population and Young People Omnibus (YPO) starting and/or participating sample.
Data definitions	Percentage of population (all schools eligible to be sampled)	Percentage of all schools sampled for YPO 2023	Percentage of schools participating in YPO 2023
Average percentage free school meals (England and Wales)	15%	16.53%	17.18%

The sample of schools participating in YPO 2023 is broadly representative of the population, with a similar profile in terms of types of establishment, regions, free school meals, and urbanity profile. There were some differences in the profile of our achieved sample compared with the population, but weights applied to the data will correct for any bias this might have introduced to the findings.

References

² Or equivalent year groups in Scotland.

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Last updated: 25 April 2024

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Contents

Sample profile