WIREDGOV

In Glasgow days of hanging-out on the street are in decline – however in Hong Kong young people are only just beginning to enjoy the leisure of free time spent outdoors.

Collaborative research conducted at the University of Glasgow and University of Hong Kong has shown that, in Glasgow, a decline in outdoor activities has been shaped by long running processes of social change, including the privatisation of public space; the commercialisation of urban amenities; and the development of new technology.

In Hong Kong, meanwhile, more and more young people are creating their own time by hanging out late at night on the streets.

In their study, ‘(Re)Imagining Youth: A comparative study of youth leisure in Glasgow and Hong Kong’, University of Glasgow sociologists Dr Susan Batchelor and Dr Alistair Fraser compared the lives of 16-25 year olds living in modern Glasgow and Hong Kong with similar research from over 50 years ago.

The original research, conducted by Pearl Jephcott in the 1960s, was in response to popular concerns of the time relating to ‘unattached’ youth who spent their free time hanging out on the streets and at local cafes, going to the cinema or ‘dancing’.

In contrast, the new study suggests that young people have increasingly turned to digital and social media to ‘hang-out’ virtually.

“In some senses, young people have more leisure time than they used to,” says Dr Susan Batchelor, “but less spaces available to them to engage in unregulated leisure that doesn’t involve consumption. In the East End of Glasgow, where our Scottish fieldsite was located, there has been a lot of regeneration to do with the Commonwealth Games. Formerly vacant land, that was once used for hanging about or playing football, has been replaced by new supermarkets and private flats. In addition, local pubs and cafes which once served the community have been replaced with more expensive bars and ‘bar-b-que’ joints, which the majority of young people cannot afford.”

As a result, the study found that young people in Glasgow now spend an increasing amount of time with their friends online instead of in public spaces.

“Young people in post-austerity Glasgow experience the jobs market as increasingly precarious. The rise of non-standard patterns of employment as well as the combination of work and education commitments mean that young people find it harder to meet up in real time and space, so they engage with each other through social media instead which they can do in their own bedroom at home, 24/7,” says Dr Batchelor.

In Hong Kong, meanwhile, the study found a different picture.

“The developing economy in Hong Kong means that in many ways young people’s leisure options - for fashion, new technology, and paid leisure activities - have become more convergent with those in Glasgow,” Dr Alistair Fraser explains. “However, these opportunities for Hong Kong’s young people are tethered to an ever-expanding knowledge and service economy, with intense pressure to attain academic and financial success.”

This means that young people’s spare time is highly regulated, with most activities being about developing personal skills.

“Hong Kong is a highly competitive, densely populated city. Because their space and time is so constrained, some young people have taken to hanging out in public spaces late at night,” Dr Batchelor adds. These so-called ‘young night drifters’ are using time to create a sense of freedom, in a similar fashion to the way in which young people in Glasgow are using online space.

The findings from the project will be discussed at an exhibition which will showcase images from Pearl Jephcott’s groundbreaking work from the 1960s, alongside contemporary illustrations and photographs of modern day Glasgow and Hong Kong.

The event, (Re)imagining youth: public exhibition, runs as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Science. It takes place at The Bridge, 100 Westerhouse Road, Glasgow, from 7-14 November. Dr Batchelor and Dr Fraser will be talking about their research on 11 November.

Further information

• Elizabeth Buie, Communications Officer University of Glasgow
  Email: liz.buie@glasgow.ac.uk
  Telephone: 0141 330 2702
• Susan Batchelor
  Email: susan.batchelor@glasgow.ac.uk
  Telephone: 0141 330 6167

Notes for editors

1. The 13th annual Festival of Social Science takes place from 7-14 November 2015 with over 200 free events nationwide. Run by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Festival provides an opportunity for anyone to meet with some of the country’s leading social scientists and discover, discuss and debate the role that research plays in everyday life. With a whole range of creative and engaging events there’s something for everyone including businesses, charities, schools and government agencies. A full programme is available online. You can also join the discussion on Twitter using #esrcfestival. Logos for the festival can be downloaded from our website.
2. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK’s largest funder of research on the social and economic questions facing us today. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and also funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policymakers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective. The ESRC also works collaboratively with six other UK research councils and Innovate UK to fund cross-disciplinary research and innovation addressing major societal challenges. The ESRC is an independent organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1965, and funded mainly by the Government. In 2015 it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
3. This press release is based on findings from ‘(Re)Imagining Youth: A comparative study of youth leisure in Glasgow amd Hong Kong’, a project funded by the ESRC and Research Grants Council.