Young Lives India releases its third COVID-19 Phone Survey Headlines Report: Listening to Young Lives at Work in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – Third Call.
This report investigates the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the education, employment, food security and mental health of Young Lives respondents in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, tracked since 2001, and who are now aged 19 and 26. The findings presented are based on a preliminary version of the data collected during the third call of the Young Lives phone survey, conducted in November 2020. Following are the key highlights from the third call.
- Around one in five 19-year-old students enrolled in 2020 were not engaged in any form of learning
- There remains a significant digital divide in access to online learning, with only 46 percent of students having access to online learning. Adolescents from the poorest and rural households remained most excluded from online learning
- Students living in rural areas had more access to in-person classes than their urban counterparts (26% compared to 18%)
- Since the lockdown, there has been a strong recovery in employment levels for young people, exceeding pre-pandemic rates: the rates now stand at 53%, compared to 42% before the lockdown
- There is a negative effect of the pandemic on employment rates of young women aged 26 with employment rates at 41% compared to 45% before the lockdown. About 55% of the Younger Cohort and 37% of the Older Cohort were self-employed at call 3, 61% and 39% respectively in call 2)
- Among those in employment, 51% were engaged in agricultural activities in Call 3, compared to 55% in call 2 and 39% before the pandemic
- 5% of households reported that they had run out of food in the past 12 months.
- Levels of reported anxiety and depression had fallen to 8% compared to 11% reported in call 2.
The third call analysis also reveals that households in the bottom tercile of the wealth index have worse access to public services, the quality of their housing is lower, and they own fewer durable goods.
A qualitative sub-study conducted by Young Lives also captured voices from the field where the respondents shared their experience during the pandemic.
A Backward Caste family from the rural area shared the effect of the pandemic on their lives, and how their pre-existent fragile financial condition due to the expenses they have had to incur for the treatment of the congenital health condition of their four-year-old son was further exacerbated due to the lockdown.
The first call in the Young Lives phone survey took place between 10th June and 15th July 2020 and reached a total of 2,750 young people (1,863 of Younger Cohort respondents aged 18, and 887 Older Cohort respondents aged 25 years old). This corresponded to 98% of the sample located in the most recent tracking in December 2019 and for whom a mobile phone number was available.
The first call brief report provided a first look into the data collected during the first of three phone survey calls (June- July 2020) and highlights some of the key emerging findings which can be accessed here.
The second call of the Young Lives phone survey took place between 11th August and 15th October 2020 and reached a total of 2,754 young people (1,868 Younger Cohort respondents aged 18, and 886 Older Cohort respondents aged 25). This also corresponded to 98% of the sample located in the most recent tracking conducted in December 2019. The key findings from the second call can be accessed here.
The third call in this COVID-19 phone survey took place between 1st November and 3rd December 2020, and has covered up on topics including education, labour market, food security and mental health. Young Lives is planning to get back to the field for the next regular round of data collection (Round 6) in late 2021, depending on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further information
For more information, or to speak with the researchers, contact:
Ms. Sultanat Khan
Coordinator – Communication & Events Young Lives India
Mobile: +918510807860
Email: skhan@younglives.in
Young Lives India releases its third COVID-19 Phone Survey Headlines Report: Listening to Young Lives at Work in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – Third Call.
This report investigates the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the education, employment, food security and mental health of Young Lives respondents in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, tracked since 2001, and who are now aged 19 and 26. The findings presented are based on a preliminary version of the data collected during the third call of the Young Lives phone survey, conducted in November 2020. Following are the key highlights from the third call.
- Around one in five 19-year-old students enrolled in 2020 were not engaged in any form of learning
- There remains a significant digital divide in access to online learning, with only 46 percent of students having access to online learning. Adolescents from the poorest and rural households remained most excluded from online learning
- Students living in rural areas had more access to in-person classes than their urban counterparts (26% compared to 18%)
- Since the lockdown, there has been a strong recovery in employment levels for young people, exceeding pre-pandemic rates: the rates now stand at 53%, compared to 42% before the lockdown
- There is a negative effect of the pandemic on employment rates of young women aged 26 with employment rates at 41% compared to 45% before the lockdown. About 55% of the Younger Cohort and 37% of the Older Cohort were self-employed at call 3, 61% and 39% respectively in call 2)
- Among those in employment, 51% were engaged in agricultural activities in Call 3, compared to 55% in call 2 and 39% before the pandemic
- 5% of households reported that they had run out of food in the past 12 months.
- Levels of reported anxiety and depression had fallen to 8% compared to 11% reported in call 2.
The third call analysis also reveals that households in the bottom tercile of the wealth index have worse access to public services, the quality of their housing is lower, and they own fewer durable goods.
A qualitative sub-study conducted by Young Lives also captured voices from the field where the respondents shared their experience during the pandemic.
A Backward Caste family from the rural area shared the effect of the pandemic on their lives, and how their pre-existent fragile financial condition due to the expenses they have had to incur for the treatment of the congenital health condition of their four-year-old son was further exacerbated due to the lockdown.
The first call in the Young Lives phone survey took place between 10th June and 15th July 2020 and reached a total of 2,750 young people (1,863 of Younger Cohort respondents aged 18, and 887 Older Cohort respondents aged 25 years old). This corresponded to 98% of the sample located in the most recent tracking in December 2019 and for whom a mobile phone number was available.
The first call brief report provided a first look into the data collected during the first of three phone survey calls (June- July 2020) and highlights some of the key emerging findings which can be accessed here.
The second call of the Young Lives phone survey took place between 11th August and 15th October 2020 and reached a total of 2,754 young people (1,868 Younger Cohort respondents aged 18, and 886 Older Cohort respondents aged 25). This also corresponded to 98% of the sample located in the most recent tracking conducted in December 2019. The key findings from the second call can be accessed here.
The third call in this COVID-19 phone survey took place between 1st November and 3rd December 2020, and has covered up on topics including education, labour market, food security and mental health. Young Lives is planning to get back to the field for the next regular round of data collection (Round 6) in late 2021, depending on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further information
For more information, or to speak with the researchers, contact:
Ms. Sultanat Khan
Coordinator – Communication & Events Young Lives India
Mobile: +918510807860
Email: skhan@younglives.in