Youth Research Roundup: New Ypulse Report, Kids & Gaming, Tweens Digital Behavior

Today we bring you another installment of the latest youth research available for sale or download. Remember if your company has comprehensive research for sale that focuses on youth between the ages of 8 and 24, email us to be included in the next Roundup.

The Ypulse Report — Automotive

Despite taking them away from their online lives, students still see getting their driver licenses as a rite of passage and a means of gaining freedom from their parents. As high schoolers, they use their new driving privileges to run family errands and shuttle siblings to school or work, but it’s a small price to pay to have a vehicle to drive to and from hanging out with friends. Their car is also a hangout destination in itself; a place to chill with friends, listen to music, relax, and even do homework without distraction. While parents pay for most aspects of high schoolers’ driving — from car payments to insurance to filling up the tank — parents encourage collegians to take on those responsibilities themselves, bit by bit. High schoolers have little autonomy in choosing the vehicle they drive (and many don’t care because they’re just excited to have a car). College students take more initiative in choosing their own car, which they are also more likely to pay for themselves. Cost: $2,000.

For more information… visit the Ypulse Research page.

Gaming Is Growing Among Very Young Children, Mobile Users

The growth of the kids’ gaming population is far outpacing the growth experienced by the population of 2-17 year olds in the country, according to “Kids and Gaming 2011,” a report from The NPD Group. Since 2009, the population growth of kids ages 2-17 increased 2% in the U.S., while the gaming population of that age group has grown 13%. The vast majority of 2-17 year olds in the U.S. participate in gaming. While the percentage of kids gaming has grown significantly across all age groups, the fastest growth has been among kids ages 2-5. The other segments driving this growth are females and teens ages 15-17. While gaming on most devices has grown for 2-17 year olds, platforms such as mobile devices and computers have experienced the most significant increases in gaming activity. The impressive growth experienced on mobile devices has been driven in large part by the availability of new devices on the market such as tablets, iOS and Android-based smartphones, as well as the abundance of content for these devices in the form of free and paid apps. Cost: Contact NPD Group.

For more information… visit the website.

Tweens’ Grown-Up Digital Behavior

The “Digital Diaries: Digital Maturity” report from AVG reveals that while the average 11 year old isn’t managing a stock portfolio or paying the mortgage online, his or her online activity closely mirrors that of an adult’s in many other respects, specifically regarding the length of time spent on connected mobile devices and overall time spent on social networks and online gaming. Tweens are forced into complex social situations that require adult reasoning — long before they’re ready. Most parents admit that their kids have access to a mainstream social network. Two thirds know their children’s passwords and a similar proportion have access to their children’s computers while they’re not on them. However, this still leaves 40% of parents who are not checking their kids’ online behavior at all. This study also shows that kids are increasingly able to circumvent parental supervision. Cost: Free.

For more information… visit the website.

Millennial Entrepreneurs & The Barriers To Business

The Millennial generation is an entrepreneurial bunch, according to an entrepreneurship study from Young Invincibles. But a few key barriers are holding them back, especially the economy. A majority of Millennials either want to start a business or already have started one. An even higher percentage of young Latinos (64%) and African-Americans (63%) express a desire to start their own companies. Women, on the other hand, are less likely to want to start their own businesses than are men. Despite Millennials’ strong entrepreneurial drive, many are delaying starting a business. The specific barriers they cite include the inability to access capital needed to get a business going, lack of knowledge needed to run a small business, concerns with overcoming current debt burdens, and few mentors from whom they can learn. Cost: Free.

For more information… download the brief.