‘Young Adult Carers in the UK—New Evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study’

Author(s): Giorgio Di Gessa, Baowen Xue, Rebecca Lacey and Anne McMunn
Publisher: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Year Published: 2022
Resource type: Peer Reviewed Research Article

Summary:

This article focuses on the prevalence of caregiving and demographic, health, and socioeconomic inequalities in the duration of care among young people aged 16-29. The study used data from 11 waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009-2021) to determine prevalence, then used data from respondents who participated in three waves or more to assess demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics. Findings suggest that 9% of young people aged 16-29 provide care, and 52% of carers cared at two of more waves. Additionally, this study determined that young people who care had more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, were from ethnic minorities and reported poor health (especially if they cared at two or more waves). This study noted that women aged 25-29 cared for longer hours, for more people, and for more years compared to men and young carers.

Citation: Di Gessa, G., Xue, B., Lacey, R., & McMunn, A. (2022). Young Adult Carers in the UK-New Evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114076

Keywords: Caregiving; care provision; young people; prevalence; duration; inequalities

Where the data was collected: UK