Young Lives, Interrupted
Short-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Abstract
We examine how the lives of adolescents in Low- and Middle- Income countries have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic downturn using data from a large-scale phone survey conducted in four countries as a part of Young Lives, a 20-year longitudinal study. The phone survey asked detailed information about the COVID-19 pandemic e.xperiences as well as collecting welfare indicators that are comparable across rounds. This allows a unique opportunity to compare a cohort of young people born around the turn of the Millennium (Younger Cohort) with an Older Cohort born in 1994, measured at the same age but seven years previously; both cohorts have been surveyed by the project since 2002.
We find that relative gains in multidimensional well-being of the Younger Cohort found in survey rounds up to 2016 had largely disappeared in 2020. The significant (absolute and relative) downturn in self-reported wellbeing and economic circumstances is apparent in India, Ethiopia, and Peru, though not in Vietnam, the country which has had the most success at controlling the virus. However, educational enrolment has been affected in all countries. We suggest that the consequences of education dropout and links potential mental health issues may mean the effects are long lasting in the absence of interventions to support young people’s wellbeing and livelihood
This is an output of the Young Lives at Work programme
Citation
C. Porter, M. Favara, R. Freund, A. Sánchez, D. Scott, “Young Lives interrupted: Effects of Covid-19 and containment policies on Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries”; COVID Economics, CEPR Press, Issue 67, pp 172-198, February 2021.