By Nelly Sander, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Colourbox

Although the neighbourhood and particularly vulnerable areas can have an impact on young people's opportunities in life, it is especially the family's situation that influences the young people's future. This is shown by research from Aalborg University. 

The Residential Area Gets the Attention

Researchers from the SocMap research group have used register data to look at the development of almost 400,000 young people over ten years from the age of 10-15 to the age of 20-25. The purpose was to investigate whether growing up in a particularly vulnerable residential area – also referred to as a "ghetto area" – affects the chance of being in education or working as a young adult.

The results show that young people who have grown up in a vulnerable area have a slightly higher risk of not being in education and employment at the beginning of adulthood. But the researchers conclude that family background matters significantly more than the neighborhood itself. Factors such as parents' level of education, income and employment have a much greater impact on how young people fare later in life.

"It is often the area itself that receives attention in the debate about children and young people who grow up in vulnerable residential areas. However, our research shows that it is to a greater extent the family's resources and support that determine how young people cope later in life. This gives us an opportunity to rethink how we best support children and young people in vulnerable areas, and where the efforts should begin," says sociologist and postdoc Andreas Lindegaard Jakobsen from the research group 

The Government's Ghetto List Cannot Stand Alone

Since 2010, the authorities have published a so-called ghetto list of social housing areas that meet various criteria for signs of social and economic isolation from the rest of society. This includes the residents' ethnic background, but also their participation in society – e.g. through work, education and crime.

The authorities' goal in identifying these areas is, among other things, to counteract negative social inheritance and isolation. When an area is designated, special initiatives can be implemented – e.g. changes in the housing structure, social initiatives and stricter rules for renting and relocation.

Prejudice and Stigmatization

"In the GHET-IN research project, we have focused on the so-called "ghetto areas" because these are areas that are highly stigmatized, perhaps almost demonized, especially from the political side, without necessarily having any basis in it. With the project, we have therefore wanted to achieve a more nuanced research-based knowledge about these areas, because whether you like it or not, the ghetto or parallel society lists have some consequences for the people who live there. 

For example, the stigma attached to these areas can lead some people to move away, while it can also be difficult to attract new residents who do not want that label," says Andreas Lindegaard Jakobsen. 

Political efforts and legislation have largely been aimed at these ghetto areas. According to the study, this can lead to an underestimation of vulnerable young people in similar areas without official ghetto status, so that they do not necessarily receive the same support and attention. 

"Our results indicate that we should be less focused on the area itself and more on the family in which the young people grow up. Support directly for vulnerable families can be a key to breaking negative patterns and ensuring that more young people get a good start to adult life," says the researcher.

Contact

• Andreas Lindegaard Jakobsen, PhD, Postdoc, Sociologist, tel. +45 99 40 28 18, Email: andreaslj@socsci.aau.dk
• Nelly Sander, Project Manager, AAU Communication and Public Affairs, tel.: +45 99 40 20 18, Email: nsa@adm.aau.dk