Children & young people market research

Once upon a time, children and young people were expected to be seen and not heard. Today, Gen Alpha and Gen Z have more power than any generation before them. Their opinions shape household spending, their behaviour drives cultural trends, and their expectations are influencing everything from education and technology to brands and public services. Understanding younger audiences is no longer optional, it is essential for organisations that want to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.

If you want research that reflects how young audiences really think and feel, you need methods designed specifically for them. At DJS Research, we have a specialist team delivering high-quality children and young people research across the UK and internationally, helping brands and organisations understand younger audiences with confidence.

Children’s market research requires a specialist approach

Research with children, teenagers and young adults cannot simply be adapted from adult methodologies. Younger participants communicate differently, engage in different ways and require additional safeguarding and ethical considerations.

All our children’s researchers have Enhanced DBS checks and are specifically trained in research with children and young people. Participant safety and wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do.

Why choose DJS Research for your children and young people research?

Putting it simply, our children and young people research leads are hugely passionate about what they do and love finding out what the next generations think. With over three decades of experience in youth research between them, our team uses their expertise to build bespoke solutions which are tailored to the needs of their audiences. From research with children, teenagers and young adults, through to studies with families, parents and carers, we have the ability to reach and engage the people you need to ensure their authentic views are heard and understood. 

We are proud to support a diverse range of clients spanning the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, delivering youth insight that informs strategy, policy, product development and communications. The breadth and depth of our work has given us a clarity and quality of audience understanding which enriches all of our outputs. You can meet our fantastic children and young people research team – in cartoon form (a glimpse at one of the many ways our Creative Services team can bring content to life in unexpected ways to maximise engagement!) below...

Research methods designed for young audiences

Our team has extensive experience running qualitative and quantitative research with children and young people, including projects exploring sensitive and complex subject areas.

Our methodological toolkit has been specifically designed for Gen Alpha, Gen Z and their families. We tailor each project depending on the age/development stage of the audience and the subject matter – and, of course, our experience extends to research with grown-ups too! We’ve conducted projects with a range of youth-focused adult audiences including teachers, wrap-around care providers, practitioners and academics.

You can find examples of our creative and flexible methods outlined below and showcased further in our short video:

• Online and in-person focus groups with children and teens.
• Creative workshops and co-design sessions.
• Gamified surveys and interactive quantitative research.
• Digital diaries and mobile-first insight approaches.
• Parent and child paired interviews.

Providing a direct route to engage children, teens, and parents through ChatterZone

Our in-house online panel ChatterZone can provide our clients with access to the views and opinions of thousands of young people across the UK, almost at the click of a button. With representation from children and teenagers, as well as their parents and carers, this well-established panel has grown steadily to become a key asset in our research tool kit.

ChatterZone enables us to reach a broad and diverse range of participants for youth research quickly and effectively, supporting targeted qualitative recruitment as well as UK-wide quantitative research samples.

Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of the next generation or to understand the views and experiences of family groups, we have the tools and experience to deliver the authentic, actionable insight you need. Contact us today to find out more – our children and young people team would love to talk.