Latest from the blogs

In October, we published a report detailing the big themes in young people’s journeys – towards the decisions that colour the rest of their lives in education and work. Built on the findings from Project Next Generation, our research with more than 1,000 13 – 17 year olds, the report highlighted six key areas where universities, colleges, and employers can do more to educate, upskill, and inspire. 

You can download the full Project Next Generation Themes Report (3.67 MB) here.

1. Don’t leave aspiration up to the imagination

At the end of secondary school, young people are at their most...

Almost half of all students now own one, and tablets have become the second most popular new purchase for university, bought by double the amount of students compared to 2019. Usage has switched from streaming, shopping, and social – to note-taking, reading, and email. (No surprises for guessing which brand has the market sewn up here, with Apple outselling Samsung by almost 10x, despite being significantly more expensive.)

But why are students, amidst a rising cost of living, splashing around £700 or more on a tablet for activities they can do on their laptops (which 91% of them already own, and 48% buy new for university)? 

Well, a few reasons:

1. Fashion. Apple products, tablets, and tech in general, are as much a style statement as they are a functional purchase. There’s an element of keeping up with the Joneses at play here. It’s a flash device to own.
2. Differentiation. It’s easy to write tablets...

Let’s start with the stalling student uptake in streaming

It seems to have reached a saturation point that, at first glance, doesn’t make much sense. The market leaders, Netflix and Amazon Prime, have risen in student subscriptions each year without fail. But last year, they both dropped. Why?

Yes, 2022 was the first year of ‘normality’ post-COVID, and also the year where the cost-of-living crisis started to tighten its grip. Students were able to indulge in other activities, while having less disposable income to spend on subscriptions. Price increases for both Netflix and Prime also played a part. 

But there’s another reason that has nothing to do with socioeconomic issues. UGC, or user generated content, may also be responsible for widespread changing media preferences in Gen Z. UGC is the collective term for any content created by people, rather than brands or businesses. The two market leaders in UGC video (YouTube and TikTok) both rose in 2022...

Tech reliance is at an all-time high on campus. Educational changes, like more online lectures, behavioural changes, like more streaming and gaming, and market changes, like more virtual experiences – have all played their part.

And, most of the time, this would be great news. Digitisation can democratise access, reduce costs, increase mobility, and enhance social lives. For the most part, it still is great news. But in a cost-of-living crisis, a growing reliance on products and services which are experiencing rapid price increases, needs to be more carefully considered.

Let’s take a look at the numbers

When it comes to services, over the past 18 months, both Spotify and Netflix have raised the price of all plans by £1 each, and Apple’s iCloud membership is now 25% more expensive. Sky subscriptions are up too, with prices for broadband and TV customers more than 8% higher than last year, whilst some of its competitors reached +14%.

When it comes to...